Code Twilight: Silent Void
by EvanescentDream93
Summary: Xana is gone but the fight is not over. Friendship, family, and love will all be tested as the Lyoko warriors go against a foe worst then Xana but they soon realize that this is nothing like Lyoko. This isn't a game. In the end, warriors will die...
1. Prologue

_Okay, so for those who don't know this story is the sequal to **Code Moon.** You've got to read that before you start reading this. So...yeah! On with the story of **Code Twilight: Silent Void. **_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Only the characters in this chapter, from Code Moon and this story's plot.**

**Prologue**

_**Become as wings that outshine your sadness, cutting through the white darkness…**_

_**17 years ago**_

The balcony window's curtains billowed lightly in the breeze as the moon's pale light graced the room.

The window connected to a room defined with wealth; its owner diverse in many cultures and times. The dark painted walls were covered in ancient but still intact and beautiful tapestries and paintings.

A coat of armor was placed against the wall securely surrounded on each side by an arrangement of medieval weapons, each one looking more deadly, more lethal then the one before it.

A shelf was lined against the wall, finely crafted ships in bottles and a vast array of philosophy and historical books on top. On a dark oak desk sat several more books, stacks of papers, and a computer that was still on.

The screen showed an e-mail, not yet finished, to be sent to one Waldo Franz Schaeffer. The chair that went with the desk was toppled over haphazardly off to the side. A few feet away drops of blood, already half dried, were found tainted the cream colored carpet. The further away from the chair the more the blood became more frequent and fresh.

A picture taken a few years ago was picked up by a gloved hand. The image showed about fifteen men, each of variant age either wearing a suit or a lab coat. They all seemed to look very proud of some unknown accomplishment.

"This would have turned out so much easier if you had just told me what I wanted, Professor McArnald," a male voice said emotionless. "Some men are just not meant to play the hero."

Lightning flashed, revealing for one second the decrepit form of a gray hair bearded man of about forty. His glasses lay a skewed, dried blood caked around the rim, as slightly fresher blood tricked down his temple, pooling around his head.

"I've got what I came for," the voice said coolly before placing the photo back on the desk. The person walked behind the desk, pressing a button that was hidden beneath the drawer causing alarms to go off throughout the home. Soon the police would come but he would be long gone by then, no evidence on who this man's killer really was would be found. As the security barged into the room, the only thing that was seen before the room was completely devoid of the murderer were a pair of cold, lifeless, dull, red eyes and a flash of lightening…

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The night's cool raindrops splashing onto him was what awakened him from his sleep.

He sat up, before swinging himself from off the roof he sat upon to underneath the tarp that hung above the small alcove that led to a small window, his movements reflecting precision and stealth.

He frowned, smelling something. His hand instantly went to the blade that was held against his hip. The male raised it to his nose, smelling the metallic and salty scent of blood. He shook his head, trying to clear away the haze that filled his mind.

This feeling had been happening a lot lately and it was only due to the fact that he was unable to recharge, thus, leaving him to his only other option; the human option; sleep. It was such a simple concept, yet so strange to him and he couldn't understand why the humans hadn't come up with a new way to recharge themselves that didn't take so long.

His ears picked up the sound of sirens ten blocks away. He jumped from the window, landing silently on the rain drenched ground. He kept to the shadows, making his way through the dark and eerily deserted maze life streets and alleys. The sounds of the sirens became more intense as he heard the squad cars go up and down the streets in pursuit of something.

"_The roofs," _he decided before jumping up and grabbing the rail of a fire escape before quietly climbing up to the roof. There, the boy stayed silent, listening to his surroundings. Suddenly, his head snapped to his right, catching a waft of something before he sprinted in that direction towards the edge of the roof. He jumped, landing on the next roof with inhuman grace.

He continued his roof top run till he felt something pierce his shoulder. Silently hissing, he ducked behind an air vent waiting for the blinding light and thunderous roar of the police helicopter to past.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up," a demanding officer yelled through a blow horn over the sound of the chopper's blades.

"As if," the boy snorted to himself before creeping out of the cover the air vent provided, sticking close to the shadows. He was just about to jump to the next roof when he felt another bullet pierce him, this one eliciting more than a hiss.

His hand clasped over his chest as he felt another bullet hit him, tipping him forward over the side of the roof. He managed to catch himself during his fall on the rail of another fire escape. He pulled himself up, lying on the rail, keeping himself conscious just enough to realize that the helicopter had passed.

"Stupid humans," he muttered to himself before he slipped into unconsciousness due to lack of blood.

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When he awakened again it was due to the smell of rain and flowers. He bolted up from his laying position only to bite his lip as pain shot from his gauzed wrapped shoulder to his equally wrapped chest, but he didn't lie down. He was in a place that wasn't familiar with.

A small squeak of surprise was heard from across the room he was in. "_A girl," _he thought, "_a young one." _The girl took a deep breath before she shuffled her way towards him. She was just about to raise a hand towards him when he caught her wrist.

"I do not need your assistance, girl," he growled before letting go of her as if she was the plague. The girl humphed, insulted but he ignored her as he swung his legs off the side of the bed he was on.

Pushing himself up to stand, he found that his legs were weak and he nearly fell to the ground if it hadn't been for the pair of arms that wrapped around him. He could hear the girl grunt slightly as she helped him back to his bed. The boy didn't protest as he felt himself placed back on the bed, unconsciousness once again taking over him but not before he uttered a few words. "Grazie…

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His savior's slow breathing seemed to awaken him while still keeping him in a calm state. He tried to once again push himself up from the bed, this time succeeding with only a little dizziness. His ears twitched slightly as he heard the girl shift in her sleep by the bed.

Gently, he picked the girl up, feeling her shiver slightly in his arms, trying to curl herself closer to his warmth. Despite her flowery scent, he could smell dirt, grime, sweat, and a mix of his blood and hers on her.

He shook his head as he placed her on the bed, surprisingly tucking her in before jumping out the window. He leapt from roof top to roof top, careful to stay near the shadows. He stopped landing on the roof of a church, crouching in between two gruesome stone gargoyles.

"You've been gone for two days, Soldier," a female voice said from behind him. "The commander was beginning to worry."

"I can take care of myself," the boy replied.

"Are you sure? Then why did you need the help of that human girl? I'm surprised. You didn't even think about killing her. She could have compromised you."

"She's only a child. I do have some standards," the boy replied.

"Of course," the girl laughed hollowly. "You're to report back to base."

The boy didn't even reply before he jumped of the roof heading towards the so called base.

The girl watched the boy leave, deep in thought. "What are you thinking…Void?"

* * *

Short, I know. Lemme alone! I've spent all day working on this and I'm so behind on my homework... Anyway, yes I know. A whole lot of pronoun usage and not alot of character descriptions. There is a reason for that! Don't know when the next chapter will be up. Not only am I behind on homework I'm also behind on my other stories so...yeah. The centered line that was before the story was a lyric from _White NightTrue light. _It's the opening song for an anime called D.N. Angel. It's awesome! The song and the anime! 

Anywho, thanks to all my readers of **Code Moon! **You all are my muses! Now muses...LET ME SLEEP! (MistFairie93 falls over snoring)

Musa: Ooookkkkaaay then...Well, since the author is practically dead to the world I guess I'll have to do this. Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!!_**


	2. The Men in Black are Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Matchbox Twenty. I do own Musa, Cascada, any new characters that are mentioned in this chapter, and the story's overall plot.**

**The Men in Black are Back**

_**Dream…**_

She felt like she was weightless, floating. She tried to move but felt something around her wrist and ankles, holding her down. She moaned slightly as she opened her eyes, only to see things in a green tint.

"_What's going on?" _she thought to herself. She looked around realizing she was entrapped in a see through container, submerged in a thick green goop. Her hands and feet were encased in hi-tech cuffs and a breathing mask was providing her oxygen. She was completely nude, only having her long flowing hair to hide her virtue.

Men in white lab coats surrounded her, each with a clip board. They were all oblivious to the state of panic she was in, that, or they just didn't care. But her eyes weren't on the strange men surrounding her. Her eyes were on the one man she recognized; the man whom she had deemed father.

"Dad! HELP ME!" she tried to yell but the mask prevented her from speaking but the man knew what she was saying. She knew because she saw the look of regret on his face; the look of shame…and betrayal.

If it weren't for the strange goop she was in, tears would have been already spilling. She tried to wriggle free from the cuffs but they were stronger then her. Panic set in. She felt like she was suffocating. The only thing she saw before she lost her mind to sheer terror and fright was a crack beginning to run down the wall of her container, the men panicking, and crimson red…

A slumped form sat in the chair of the supercomputer, the computer that housed a virtual world known as Lyoko, created by a man with a dream. Curls of black and neon blue hair spilled onto the keyboard and over the side and limbs hung over the chair's arm.

A window flashed on the screen sending a bright green flashing light throughout the somewhat dim room. It was quiet, save for a few of the computer's soft beeps and the slumped figure's snore. That is, it was until…

_**Bbbbbrrrriiiinnnngggg!**_

The person let out a startled scream before they fell off the chair and onto the cold hard floor. "Kuso!" the person cursed from beneath their curtain of black and blue hair. Pale hands moved the long locks aside to reveal a girl with bright blue-green eyes.

_**Bbbbbrrrriiiinnngggg!**_

The girl reached inside her pocket pulling out a ringing cell phone. She opened it up, turning off the alarm clock she had set up earlier though she couldn't remember why she had set it to begin with. As she tried to figure out the reason for setting her alarm her mind wandered to the dream she had just had.

_"That was really weird," _she thought rubbing her wrist, trying to shake off the feeling of being cuffed. She sighed running a hand through her hair as she got up, returning to her seat. She stared at the screen. _Download complete, _it read as she took out a disk from the drive, putting it in a bag with about a couple dozen other disks.

She typed on the keyboard rapidly, far faster then someone should be able to type. "And delete," she murmured to herself as she pressed one final button. The 3-D holo-sphere in the center of the room seemed to flicker for a second before completely going off. The computer screen soon followed suit till it was only a black monitor. "Hope Jeremy doesn't kill me," she sighed to herself as she gathered her things making sure she had all the disks she had created.

The girl did one final scan of the room before heading towards the elevator. She stepped in, still trying to remember why she had set that damn alarm.

She had exited the factory where the supercomputer resided and half way into her dorm when she remembered why she had sat her alarm. "NO!" she yelled running into her room, putting down the bag and changing into some fresher clothes. "How could I forget?" She began running around the looking under her bed and her sleeping kitten for something when she heard a knock on the door. She ran over to it and opened it revealing a large man in a red sweater and sweats.

"Oh, Jim-sensei," the girl gasped. "I'm sorry! I can't really talk right now. I'm late and I can't find my notebook!"

"You mean this?" the P.E. teacher asked holding out a black notebook stuffed with loose sheets of paper.

"Yes!" the girl grinned taking the book and stuffing it into her bag. She was about to leave her room when her stomach rumbled. "_Great," _she thought, "_I slept through breakfast."_

She was surprised when she found a paper bag in her hands. She looked at the man who was trying to seem impassive before looking back at the bag from which she could smell something like a pastry inside it. She smiled as she skipped over to the man, standing on her tips toes to place a kiss on his cheek before running out of the room.

"Arigatou, Jim-sensei!" she yelled over her shoulder at the slightly embarrassed teacher.

"_Man, Cas is going to kill me for being late when I promised I wouldn't,"_ she thought stuffing the food into her mouth as she ran out of the gates of Kadic Academy.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"She's late," a strawberry blonde sighed looking at the clock.

"She'll be here," a blonde hair boy wearing purple said.

"I don't doubt that she won't be here, Odd. I'm just saying that she's going to be late after I told her that she needed to be here on time," the girl yawned leaning back into the embrace of a shaggy hair boy next to her.

"Should we wait for her?" a pink hair girl asked.

"We're on a time limit guys," another blonde hair boy with glasses said.

"Jeremy's right," a brunette hair boy said.

"Let's just do one song while we wait for her," a Japanese girl offered.

"How does that sound Odd?" the shaggy hair boy asked.

"Fine," the purple loving boy sighed.

"You guys ready?" a white hair man said walking into the room followed by a dirty blonde hair man.

"Ready when you are, Chris," Odd said.

"Where's Musa?" the dirty blonde hair man asked.

"She's not here yet Mr. Della Robbia," the pink hair girl replied.

"Aelita," the man chuckled, "How many time do I have to tell you? Just call me Ken. Now let's get started on this C.D.!"

"What song are we going to do Odd?" the brunette hair boy asked.

"You know the one, Ulrich," the purple loving boy grinned.

"Odd, I can't sing," Ulrich said.

"Yeah right," the strawberry blonde girl scoffed. "We all know you have a great voice, Ulrich, and if you don't agree to do this I have my ways of making you," she grinned pointing to the Japanese girl who was grinning just as mischievous as he friend.

Ulrich sighed. He hated when they used Yumi as his kryptonite. He stood no chance. "Whatever, Cascada," he said getting his guitar ready. "You had to have a bossy manipulating girlfriend, didn't you, William?" The shaggy hair teen merely shrugged as he sat behind his drums.

"Ready, good buddy?" Odd asked.

"Do I have a choice?" the brunette asked, his gaze lingering on the black hair girl not too far away from him.

"Let's get started guys," Chris said from the sound booth with Jeremy, Ken, and a few other people.

Ulrich cleared his throat stepping forward to the microphone.

_Hello  
Hello  
Hello_

William began playing Ulrich soon joining in with Aelita, on piano, and Odd, on guitar quickly following.

_I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world__,  
But its feeling just like every other morning before,  
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone._

"_Damn!" _Musa thought. "_I'm so dead! Cascada is going to kill me with her lecture! Then I'll have to be brought back to life so Chris and Ken can lecture me. I knew I should have written a will!"_

_The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour if that  
Started staring at the passengers waving goodbye  
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?_

_**Odd: **__But I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
__**All: **__Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
__**Odd: **__Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
__**All: **__Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come_

The streets just had to be crowded today, didn't they? Did whatever power that control the world just love to mess with her or was she just that unlucky?

"Excuse me!" Musa yelled moving through the crowd of pedestrians that seemed to be moving extra slow today. "Excuse me! Sorry! Hey watch it buddy! I'm walking here!"

The wolf A.I. but her lip looking at her watch briefly. At the rate she was going, she would be lucky to make it to the studio by next year!

_**Ulrich: **__I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know  
Then I can't remember caring for an hour or so  
Started crying and I couldn't stop myself  
I started running but there's nowhere to run to  
I sat down on the street, took a look at myself  
Said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell  
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to_

Odd glanced at the clock that was on the wall. "_Where is she?"_ he wondered.

_**Odd: **__But I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
__**All: **__Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
__**Odd: **__Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
__**All: **__Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come_

"Almost there," Musa murmured to herself as she sharply turned a corner.

_**Odd: **__It's gone gone baby it's all gone  
There's no one on the corner and there's no one at home  
Well, it was cool cool, it was just all cool  
Now it's over for me and it's over for you_

"You do remember what we talked about, right?" a short spiky hair brunette woman with blonde highlights asked from her seat next to an icecap white hair boy next to her. The woman wore a mixed between casual and business like outfit.

The boy's white hair was long in the front, part of his hair covering the left side of his face, eyes hidden behind glasses while his hair became short at the back. Headphones placed over his ears, blasting loudly as he tapped his fingers against the window's cold glass. One may have thought he hadn't even heard a word the young woman said but the boy nodded before pulling up the hood of his large black hoodie.

"Don't forget. Your _career _is not the only one on the line here. Mine is too," the woman said taking out a small make-up mirror checking her makeup.

"Whatever," the boy murmured.

"You're so damn enthusiastic," the girl muttered closing the mirror and stuffing it in her purse. "Ralph, step on it."

"Yes, ma'am," the chauffer nodded in the rear view mirror before returning his attention back on the road.

"You really should smile more. Maybe you would be able to find a girl then," the woman said turning to the boy once again.

He didn't answer.

"Or not."

_**Odd, William, and Ulrich: **__Well it's gone gone baby it's all gone  
There's no one on the corner and there's no one at home_

Caramel eyes scanned the crowded sidewalks as nervous hand twisted the napkin within her grip.

"Would you like anything else, mademoiselle?" the waiter asked. She shook her head, mocha color hair bouncing around cinnamon toned skin. The waiter left, the girl already been paid for.

Chipped nails tapped against the table nervously before they stopped and the girl got up, gathering her things. She walked the crowded streets, hands stuffed in her coat pockets, one containing a CD. She ran her fingers over the smooth plastic, remembering its smoothness, though she had already committed it to mind months ago. The girl blushed, deep in thought and she didn't notice that she was crossing the street, the traffic going against her.

_Well, it was cool cool, it was just all cool  
Now it's over for me and it's over for you_

Musa was almost there. She could practically see the studio's sign. "_Yes, almost there!" _She was just about to run across the street, the green light telling her to go when she heard a horn honking. She turned, seeing a girl crossing the street; the no walking sign on as a black car came honking towards her, though not slowing down. The neon blue streaked hair girl gasped and before she realized what she was doing she had run across the street, faster than a human was supposed to go and pushed the girl and herself out of the way.

_**Odd and Ulrich: **__I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna find out  
Let's see how far we've come (oh yeah)  
Let's see how far we've come_

Both girls let out a surprised squeak as they fell to the ground. Musa moaned, rolling off the girl. A small crowd had gathered around them to see if they were okay.

"Oh my!" a white hair man wearing a suit and chauffer hat came rushing over to them. "Are you okay? I didn't hit either of you did I? Oh! Ms. Sitara! I didn't notice it was you! Oh and you two child," the man said looking at Musa, "I'm so sorry!" the man blabbered.

"It's okay," Musa said waving him off. "Are you okay?" she asked the girl who was holding a broken CD in her hand. "Oh I'm so sorry!"

The girl shook her head, smiling to ease Musa's guilt though the wolf A.I. knew it was just a mask.

"May I see?" she asked holding her hand out. The girl hesitantly handed over the broken CD.

"_Terran Yuki," _Musa read. "_Weird. Never heard of him." _She shrugged handing the broken CD back before she glanced at her watch. "Kuso!" she yelled getting up and startling the man and girl. "Gomen, but I have to go!" she said taking off for the studio only a few feet away.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The brunette hair woman stared from the back of the car, waiting as the chauffer made sure the girl he nearly ran over was okay while the other girl ran into a music studio.

"That girl is strange," she remarked watching as the neon blue streaked hair girl ran off.

"Is she okay?" the boy asked voice sounding bored as he faced ahead.

"Which one do you mean?" the woman grinned but once again, silence greeted her.

_**Odd and Ulrich: **__Now well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
Let's see how far we've come (oh yeah)  
__**All: **__Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come_

"I'm here!" Musa cried running into the studio. Everyone looked up as the girl ran into the room. "Sorry I'm-" the girl was cut off when he foot caught on the rug, causing her to fall forward.

The girl waited for her body to meet the ground, but it didn't. She never met the floor and she realized that it was because someone had caught her. She looked up at her savior to see a young man, about late 20's with wheat colored hair and glasses, holding her.

"You should watch your step next time," the man reprimanded. The girl stared shocked. Was he ordering her around? She glared.

"I would prefer if you not talk as if I was a little child," she said holding back a growl.

"It's funny how you didn't dismiss the fact that you were still a child," the man chuckled.

Musa frowned, confused pondering his words but before she could come up with a comeback Ken had walked over.

"Musa, good to see you, though you need to work on your timing," Ken chuckled.

"I would have been here on time but I just save some poor girl's life by pushing her out of the way of a rushing car," Musa explained.

"Sure you did," Cascada said sarcastically, walking up to her sister.

"It's true! You can look out the window now and still see the crowd!" the girl exclaimed.

The wheat hair man walked over to the window and did just that. When he turned around he was frowning. "There's nothing out there except for the usual traffic."

"But-!"

"Cut it Musa," Cascada said walking away.

The younger girl pouted.

"You really are childish," the wheat hair man murmured.

"Who do you think you are, Bub?" Musa whirled around and asked him.

"Musa, this is Oswald Jefferson," Chris introduced, trying to stop a fight.

"Call me O.J.," the wheat hair man said.

"Are you sure about that?" Musa asked. A confused look crossed the man's face. "You know, O.J. Simpson, the ex-football player who's accused of killing his wife and is in court now for some other obscene reason." The man still didn't seem to understand. "I'll just call you Ozzy."

"If you must," Ozzy sighed.

"Anyway, Ozzy," Chris said, grinning at the look of distaste that the man showed when he used the nickname, "is your financial manager and also head of the sound crew."

"Interesting," Musa said already bored with this conversation. She walked away from the men, her sister following.

"Did you finish?" Cascada whispered.

"Yes," Musa nodded.

"I have all the files saved on disks safely hidden in my room."

"Good, but you still aren't off the hook," Cascada said walking by.

Musa sighed before she was embraced from behind. She knew instantly who it was as she felt soft kisses trail down her neck. "Odd," she blushed trying to wriggle free from his tickling kisses.

The boy pouted letting her go. "I missed you," he said.

"I missed you too," the girl giggled. "Sorry I was late."

Odd shrugged. "We got Ulrich to sing."

"And I missed it?" the girl gasped. "No fair!"

"Don't worry," the purple loving boy winked. "Jeremy, Will, and I hid a camera somewhere. It should have recorded everything. It'll look great for that video I'm making of the band."

"I'm sure," Musa smiled kissing him on the lips.

"Hey," Jeremy said coming up to them. "We're already behind schedule," he said looking at the wolf A.I.

"Whatever," the girl sighed. "If you guys don't believe me, then fine."

"I believe you, Musa," Odd said kissing the girl's cheek.

"Whipped," Ulrich coughed.

"What?" Odd growled.

"Stop fighting you two," Cascada said grabbing both boys' ears and pulling them over to their instruments despite their protest. "It's time to make music."

"Sometimes, onee-san scares me," Musa whispered to Aelita, Yumi, and William. They nodded in agreement.

"I heard that!" the plant A.I. shouted.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Ugh, who knew singing was so tiring?" Musa said from her position on William's back as the group made their way back to Kadic after hours of recording.

"Stop complaining," William grunted. "You're not as light as you think you are."

"Hey!" the girl said hitting him playfully.

"Well I can't wait for dinner," Odd grinned. "I'm starving!"

"When are you not?" Ulrich asked.

"Hey guys, do you mind stopping at the factory?" Jeremy asked not seeing the looks that Musa and Cascada exchanged.

"Sure," Aelita said.

"Fine," Yumi, William and Ulrich sighed.

"Only if you give me your desert," Odd grinned.

"Okay," Musa said getting off of William's back.

"But watch your backs," Cascada said ominously.

"Why?" Aelita asked worried.

"It's just a feeling; intuition," Musa said. "Don't make too much noise once we get there."

Though they weren't sure what was going on the other teens nodded, trusting the two girls. When they arrived at the factory they all began to wonder if Musa and Cascada were psychics when they saw the sight before them.

Not too far away, across the bridge that led to the abandon building where a caravan of black trucks with tinted windows. and the men walking back and forth from them, taking out what looked like large pieces of computer software, were all wearing black suits.

The men in black, the ones who had haunted Hopper, forcing him and his daughter to take refuge on Lyoko, were back…

* * *

Okay! For those of you who don't know the name of the song is called _How Far we've Come _by Matchbox Twenty. Love it. Hate it. I really don't give a care. As for why Ulrich was singing it, I just like putting my characters in embarassing situations. Oh well. Anyway, new characters are introduced. Some things are still left unclear but that's okay! Thanks for the review for last chapter!

Anyway, for some reason I keep laughing everytime I read the title for this chapter. Don't know why but, whatever...

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	3. Already Ahead, or Not

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and any other character that is not in the show.**

**Already Ahead…or Not**

"This is a disaster!" Jeremy said pacing back and forth furiously while the other watched. They were all nervous and on edge…except for Musa and Cascada, who were strangely calm. "Do you know that now they have records to all of our files? They'll find us and put us in jail! No. Worst then jail!" the boy said practically pulling his hair out.

It was then that he was hit on the head by a very large bag.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" the boy asked rubbing his head while glaring daggers at the plant A.I.

"Because you're overreacting," Cascada said while leaning against William's chest, eyes trained on the sketch pad before her, pencil running smoothly along the paper.

"Hai," Musa nodded from her place hanging upside down on the boy's bed, Odd next to her on the floor. "Do you really think that we hadn't seen this coming? Look inside the bag Einstein."

Jeremy looked skeptically at the bag that lay near his feet before at his friends. He sighed before kneeling next to it and opening it. Inside, he found dozens of CDs, each with the band's name _Evanescent Dream_ written on it.

"What are they?" Aelita asked.

"What do they look like?" Musa asked grinning.

"They look like CDs for our band," Odd said picking one up and examining it.

"That's the point," Cascada said still not looking away from her pad. "They look like they're for the band when in reality they're files that Musa copied from the supercomputer before erasing everything on it."

"You mean…" Yumi began.

"Yep," Musa grinned proudly. "When those government guys try to search around the supercomputer they won't find anything. It's completely blank. Everything that was ever on the supercomputer, including the bugs, is all on these files."

"Go Muse and Cas," Ulrich grinned.

"So you see, Jer," Cascada continued looking up, "Musa and I had it all covered. Just relax."

"But how did you guys know?" William asked.

"Better yet, what are we going to do with these disks?" Jeremy asked. "We can't use them without a supercomputer."

"Musa, do you think you can answer this? I'm a little busy," Cascada murmured already in her own little world as she continued to sketch.

The wolf A.I. sat up right from her former position, her face red from hanging at such an odd angle before laying on her stomach on top of the bed and playing with Odd's hair.

"Well to answer Will's question, Cas and I aren't sure exactly _how _we knew we just…did. Like a tiny voice in the back of our heads was telling us what to do and no we're not crazy," Musa said quickly.

"Speak for yourself," Cascada murmured before a concentrating look returned to her face.

"Anyway, we just had to act on what we were feeling. If it turned out that we were just overreacting then we could always restore the supercomputer back to what it was before. That was part of the reason why I was late for practice. I had overslept in the factory but I managed to get everything. I even added a coat of dust to everything to make it look like no one had been in there though I doubt the computer looking dusty would have stopped them from believing that someone was using the computer. I'm surprised it took them so long to find us though. It must have been due to the events when we destroyed Xana. We did use a lot of energy, more then usual. That could have signaled them…" she said trailing off, thinking.

"So we don't have to worry about them finding us, right?" Aelita asked.

"Hai," Musa nodded. "Now, for Jeremy's question. I know you're not supposed to answer a question with a question but do you really think that there is only one supercomputer after the whole deal with the replicas?"

"It's not that I didn't know that there were other supercomputers," Jeremy said pushing his glasses, "it's just that with dealing with the replicas, all the supercomputers were far, _FAR_ away from Kadic. Now tell me where are we going to even find a moderately close supercomputer?"

"Well it's is summer break," Odd said, "So we don't really have to worry too much about school. At least not for now."

"He's right," Musa nodded. "We can all just go to the location of the nearest supercomputer."

"Where _is _the closest supercomputer?" Yumi asked.

"The Alps," Cascada said sitting down her sketch pad. "That's where Franz, Aelita, and Elena used to live before this all turned into a nightmare. It's also where the prototype for Lyoko is. When we get there all we need to do is make a few updates and we should be back and running."

"Now the only problem is figuring out what our excuse will be to allow all of us to go there without causing suspicion," Ulrich said.

"Already ahead of you," Musa grinned pulling out a folded piece of paper from her pocket. She unfolded it and handed it to Jeremy before placing her chin on Odd's shoulder, letting the boy gently stroke her head.

Jeremy looked at the paper he had been given. This is what it read:

_Kadic Academy's Annual Summer Ski Trip in the Alps_

_All students invited as long as they are a dorm student or have the consent of a parent._

_This year sponsored by Emeric McArnald, CEO of Lycoris Incorporated._

"This is too perfect!" Aelita grinned, looking over the blonde's shoulder.

"It is," Jeremy said frowning as he handed the sheets to the others to look at. "But who is this Emeric McArnald and why is he sponsoring this?"

"Why does any rich CEO do anything?" Ulrich asked. "It's just to get publicity. My dad's company does it all the time."

"Still, I can kind of understand Jeremy's uneasiness about the situation," Yumi said. "I remembered that last year this was canceled because no one would sponsor our school. Actually when I think about it, I'm pretty sure that Kadic hasn't been sponsored for anything in like…years."

"Well why don't we ask someone who would know," Musa said getting up and walking over to the door. She opened it and in tumbled Sissi.

"Looked who dropped by," Odd said.

"Konichiwa, Banshee-chan," Musa grinned looking down at the girl. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing that you need to know about, weirdo," the principal's daughter said flipping her hair over her shoulder as she stood back up. "But if you must know I heard your little conversation."

"What did you hear?" William asked coolly.

"Just that the nerd over there," she said jerking her manicure thumb at Jeremy, "is suspicious about Mr. McArnald. What's wrong? Don't approve of something that forces you to leave your little computer and room?" she mocked.

"What do you know about the guy?" Ulrich asked.

"Who? Belpois?" Sissi asked.

Cascada let out a frustrated growl before slamming her sketch pad down. "No, you brat, about Emeric McArnald!"

"What did you just call me?" Sissi snorted in shock.

Cascada simply got to her feet, standing before the girl with her hands on her hips to give the impression she was towering over the younger girl.

Sissi gulped nervously, intimidated. "Look," she said loosing her resolve, "all I know is that one of Mr. McArnald's assistants came saying that he was going to fully sponsor the trip and all the expensive. He didn't give a reason."

Hikaru smirked. "Good girl. You can leave now." Sissi was happy to comply as she sped out of the room. "Vague answers," the plant A.I. murmured, "Did they answer your questions, Jeremy?" she asked the boy.

"Not all of them," the boy replied.

The strawberry blonde sighed. "I guess it would have been too much to have just gone on a simple vacation. I'll sign us up," she said heading towards the door but before she left she murmured, "Our work is never done, is it?"

Musa nodded sadly. "When will we ever be able to live normal lives?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Silent footsteps made their way through the dorm's dark halls with ease as Kadic slept before stopping at the door that led to the dorm of Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robbia. A pale hand lightly touched the doorknob, sending a shock of electricity through it and causing the door to unlock. Without making a sound, she stepped into the room before shutting the door silently with their foot.

She looked around the room, with no need for light. She saw the brunette hair boy and the Japanese girl curled up in one bed and the spiky blonde alone in his own. Setting a small kitten next to the sleeping the dog in the pulled out drawer, the girl noiselessly eased her way into bed with the blonde, taking in the boy's warmth and smell.

She wasn't too shocked when she felt herself being pulled closer to the boy. This had become a nightly routine for everyone in the group despite the punishments they would be given if caught.

"You're awake," she said softly so as to not wake the other two occupants of the room.

"You should know by now that I can't sleep without my muse," the boy grinned snuggling his face into her neck, placing soft kisses along it.

"Stop! That tickles!" the girl whispered trying to hold back her laughs that would undoubtedly wake up the whole school.

The boy did as he was told before taking the girl in his arms and flipping her so that she was lying on top of him. "Something is on your mind," he said softly, his face serious as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's nothing," the girl said waving it off.

"Musa, do you think that after all we've been through that I wouldn't know when you were lying to me? I'm not as dumb as people think I am," Odd asked arching a brow.

"I don't think you're dumb!" Musa protested before clamping her mouth shut and looking over at the other bed to see if she had awakened Ulrich and Yumi, luckily the two were still appeared to still be sleeping.

"That's good to know," the purple loving boy grinned, "But don't try to change the subject."

"Honestly, Odd. I'm fine," Musa said, "now go to sleep."

"What if I don't want too?" the boy asked flipping her onto her back. "Can it be negotiated?" he asked leaning over her and kissing her jaw lightly.

"Maybe," the girl grinned wrapping her arms around him bringing him closer to her.

"Hey! There are other people in the room!" Ulrich said before he threw a pillow at the two. Odd sighed turning to see that his best friend and his other friend that happened to be his best friend's girlfriend were up and staring at them.

"Aren't you two supposed to be asleep?" the purple loving boy asked, shifting off the girl.

"It's hard to sleep when your friends are about to make out," Yumi said, laughing at the blushes that were on the younger teens faces though Musa's was the darkest.

"Whatever," Odd said getting up, "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Ow! I'll come with you," Ulrich said after Yumi elbowed him in the side, gesturing for him to go. Odd gave his friend a weird look as the brunette rubbed his sore side before shrugging it off as the two left the room. Now it was just Yumi and Musa.

The two were friends but they weren't as closed as they were with the others. They never really had a conversation with the other unless initiated by someone else and even then they never exactly talked directly to the other. In retrospect, the two had never spoken more than polite casualties to the other.

"Ano, uh…" Musa began before Yumi cut her off.

"So how far have you gotten with Odd?" the older girl suddenly asked.

"Nani?" the girl asked startled by the girl's question as another blush graced her features.

"You heard me," the Japanese girl grinned. "We never really get to talk, just you and me so I wanted to talk."

"About this?" the wolf A.I. asked in disbelief still not overcoming the initial shock.

"Come on," Yumi prodded. "You know you want to talk to someone. Besides, Cascada is too reserved for this type of conversation and even if she weren't anything that she deemed interesting would be told to William and I don't think you want Odd killed by your brother. Aelita, though she has learned a lot since coming to Kadic, is still naïve and hasn't done anything with Jeremy besides holding hands and a few pecks on the cheek so therefore that only leaves me."

"I hate how your logic makes sense," the younger girl muttered.

"So?" Yumi asked standing up and plopping next to the girl.

"Well, uh, we really haven't made it passed what you just awoke to," Musa said sheepishly.

"You mean making out?" Yumi teased.

"Actually, we haven't really even done that," Musa said hiding behind her curtain of hair. "Every time we try to we either get interrupted or I get nervous."

"You didn't look nervous to me," the Japanese girl smirked before frowning as she saw the girl's hands twist the hem of her shirt nervously.

"I was," the girl said. "I really like Odd and I know he wouldn't do anything that would hurt me but I feel like he wants to do something much more then kissing."

"Of course" Yumi chuckled. "All boys want to. What really tells you whether a guy is good for you or not is whether they'll let their desire overshadowed what's best for you. Odd loves you so you don't have to worry about it. But you already know that. He probably tells you that all the time."

"Not really," Musa murmured. "I mean, he's implied it but…"

"You shouldn't worry," Yumi said putting a comforting arm around the girl. "I've known Odd for years and despite his goofy attitude it's hard for him to express his true feelings. I mean, I didn't even know he had a dad and out of nowhere Ken pops up! Don't worry; it's just hard for boys to express their feelings. Ulrich is a good example of that. Three years it took him to ask me out!"

Musa nodded, smiling. "Thanks Yumi-chan."

"No prob, Musa-chan," the older girl grinned.

"Hey, Yumi? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," the girl shrugged.

"When you were asking me if I had gone further with Odd…umh…what _is _further?" she asked.

Yumi arched a brow. "You mean you don't know?"

The wolf A.I. shook her head. "When Cascada, Leon, and I were back on Lyoko, mother and the Hoper wouldn't let me download certain parts of human relationship." The girl pouted suddenly. "They let Cas and Leon download them though. So unfair!"

At that point Yumi felt her body shaking from the laughs she was trying to hold in. "Maybe I was wrong saying that Aelita was the naïve one of the group," she chuckled.

"Nani? What?" Musa questioned confused as the other girl continued to quietly laugh at her expense.

Unnoticed to the two girls, outside, concealed within the trees was a figure watching them. "_Musa Utada," _the person thought. As the trees' branches swayed softly in the breeze the figure disappeared as if he hadn't existed.

* * *

Okay, so short compared to what I usually have but it's the beginning of the story. I'm just trying to set up the story line which was one of the reasons why I had Yumi and Musa have their little chat. Before I go on I want to remind you that this story is rated "T". Their wont be anything like lemons unless implied but that's highly slim. I'm only 14, people! I shouldn't even know half the stuff that I know now but that's the world we live in, sadly. Anyway, just wanted to mention that the dead guy in the prologue and the sponsor guy are two different people though they are related in some way. Just thought to say that so wou wouldn't be like, "Isn't he dead?"

Another thing, the men in black are not Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones, nor will the ghost busters be joining the plot. I didn't make that name for them, the show did. Hopefully I'll think of another name for them but as for now the men in black in this story have nothing to do with aliens though I am thinking about them having those flashy memmory thing. I wished I had one. That would be so awesome!

Next chapter will probably be preparations, formal meeting of some of the new charaters, and the beginning of the trip itself. If any of you have been skiing it would really help if you gave me some ideas since I've never been. I perfer warmer weather.

Thanks to all my reviewers I already have about 22 reviews and I only posted two chapters. I feel so special. Thank you!

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	4. The Start of a New Relationship

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I only own Musa, Cascada, the new characters for this story and the story's plot.**

**The Start of a New Relationship**

Musa stifled a yawn as her eyes slowly blinked away the sands of sleep. She realized that she was on Odd's bed, Yumi sleeping with her back towards her. The wolf A.I. was just about to get up from her lying position when she felt a hand hold her down. She looked down to realize that Yumi was holding her wrist keeping her down.

The Japanese girl turned her head slightly so the other could see it before mouthing to be quiet. Musa looked confused before her eyes traveled to where Odd and Ulrich were standing…shirtless.

A bright blush crept across the girl's face but she couldn't help but stare as the muscles on Odd's back flexed as he dried his hair off with a towel. She was beginning to wonder what he looked like from the front when…

"You know, if you two wanted to see us with our shirts off you could have just told us," Odd said surprising the two girls. Ulrich, who had been doing a series of simple stretches, froze as he looked towards the starring Yumi with a deep blush on his face. It seemed that he hadn't realized that he had an audience.

"Odd!" he gasped quickly grabbing a shirt and putting it on. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hey, I thought we could give the girls an early morning show," the purple loving boy grinned before winking at Musa who felt her heart beat twice as fast.

"I think you should put a shirt on before she has a stroke," Yumi laughed getting up and sitting down next to Ulrich. Odd sat down on his bed with Musa, pulling her onto his lap, still shirtless.

"So," he said wrapping his arms around her and placing his head on her shoulder. "Dad called. He says for us to meet him at the studio."

"Another recording?" Musa asked, forgetting about Odd's lack of clothes at the mention of something music related.

"Don't know," Odd shrugged. "He said he wanted us to meet some people and talk to us about something. I already called the others. They said they would meet us there."

"Then I guessed Musa and I should head back to our rooms," Yumi said getting up. Musa nodded, trying to get up before she realized that Odd was still holding her.

"What? I can't come and watch?" he pouted, inwardly chuckling at the surprised expression on Musa's face. He saw Yumi take a step towards hi but he really didn't connect what was happening as both she and Musa raised their hands.

"**_Hentai!_**" they both yelled as their hands connected with the blonde's face.

"I'm going to guess that meant pervert," Ulrich smirked as Musa pulled away from Odd, getting Ichigo, and both she and Yumi left.

"You know, I thought that when I met Musa the slapping would be over. Guess things never change," the boy sighed rubbing his abused cheeks.

"Whatever," Ulrich said rolling his eyes. "Can you put some clothes on?"

"Come on Ulrich. You know you want to see what you're missing," Odd grinned.

Ulrich threw a pillow square at his friend's head. "That was so wrong in so many ways," he said before putting his shoes on and leaving for breakfast.

"I just can't win!" Odd complained to Kiwi who simply ignored the boy by going to sleep.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Aelita sighed as she entered the room of the Lyoko gang's computer whiz's room. The blonde, like countless times before, lay on his keyboard in front of his computer asleep. She quietly made her way over to him gently shaking him.

"Jeremy," she said softly, "Wake up."

"Five more minutes," the boy murmured, shrugging her off.

"Honestly, Jeremy," the girl sighed loudly, "what am I going to do with you?" She tried to once again shake the boy awake but all he did was move from his laying position to a slumped position in his chair. This only left the pink hair girl with only one option.

**_SLAP!_**

Jeremy was startled awake, rubbing his stinging cheek. He soon realized that he wasn't alone and that Aelita was hovering nearby. "Oh, Aelita," he murmured whipping the sleep from his eyes before letting out a loud yawn. "How long have you been here?"

"Not too long," the girl replied, "but you know how I don't like you working all night on your computer until you fall asleep in front of it."

"Sorry. I was just looking up something and it took longer then expected."

Aelita was about to ask him what exactly he was looking up when she remembered her reason for being here.

"Oh. Odd called. He said that Ken wanted to meet us at the studio," she said.

"For what?"

The pink hair girl shrugged. "He didn't say."

"Okay, just let me get ready," the blonde said getting up.

"Jeremy," Aelita said quietly as he rummaged through his wardrobe for something clean to wear.

"Yeah, Aelita?" he called.

"Have you…had you heard of anything from my parents?" she asked nervously.

Jeremy turned around looking into her eyes. He saw the look of hope, worry, anxiety, and doubt in her mind. He wanted to take away any negative emotions she had but he didn't know what to say to his princess.

"No. I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling his heart clench when he saw the downcast look cross her features. "But I'm sure that we'll come into contact with them soon. They probably already know about the government agents coming here and they probably want to stay under the radar for a little, but I'm sure they're missing you, Musa, and Cascada everyday."

"Thank you Jeremy," the pink hair girl said embracing the boy. "I can always count on you, can't I?"

"Well, I'll always be here," the boy smiled shyly, holding on to her tighter.

"Awwww! Isn't that cute," a female voice said from the door. Both teens turned around to see Cascada standing at the door, sketchpad in one hand and William's hand in the other.

"Hey guys," Aelita greeted pulling away from Jeremy, "Did you get Odd's call?"

"Yeah," William nodded.

"I hope this won't take long," Cascada said flipping through her sketch pad and leaning against the door frame as she took a pencil that was tucked behind her ear and started sketching once again.

"You always seem to be sketching something lately," Jeremy said. The girl shrugged.

"I've been thinking of a lot of different things. Some Lyoko related and some…some just for personal reasons," the plant A.I. said as she flicked her pencil with her wrist and returned it back to behind her ear, closing the book.

"Well just give me a second to get dressed," Jeremy said. The others nodded filing out of the room waiting a while before the door reopened revealing a dressed Einstein.

"Where are Musa, Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich?" William asked.

"Here we are," Musa called as she and the other three joined the rest of the group.

"Then we're ready to go then," Cascada said, leading the way out of the dorms.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The brunette hair woman watched as the white hair boy in front of her expertly glided his fingers across the keys of the piano before him. She sighed crossing her arms and staring at the clock across the room while listening to the music the boy was playing.

"I hate waiting," she murmured.

No response. Not like she was expecting one from the ice prince himself. She ran her fingers through her hair tiredly before the door opened, revealing Ken Della Robbia. The producer was grinning as he entered the room.

"I called the kids and they're on their ways. I'm sure they'll be excited to meet you. They're very talented kids if I do say so myself," the man said proudly.

"We'll find out if you're correct," the boy muttered stopping his playing and his sunglasses covered eyes staring at the wall in front of him.

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed, Mr. Yuki," Ken said confidently.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Outside of the door that Ken had just entered stood Oswald "Ozzy" Jefferson. The light of the hall reflected off his glasses hiding his eyes as he held a cell phone to his ear.

"Phase one has already been started. We need to hurry up and move to phase two," he said speaking silently within the phone. "Yes….I know…I will…I'll call back when everything is ready…okay…" he said before hanging up the phone and placing it back into his pocket and walking away...

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The Lyoko gang finally arrived at the studio. As soon as they stepped into the hall that led to the recording room they heard Ken's loud cheerful voice speaking to someone.

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed Mr. Yuki," they heard the older Della Robbia say.

'_Yuki?' _Musa thought. "_I've heard of that name before…"_

The wolf A.I. was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that she was about to run into someone until she found herself on the ground.

"Ow!" she groaned, looking up to see that she had ran into Ozzy, the man extending out a hand to help her up.

"Are you going to take it or just stare at it?" he as asked impatiently. The girl growled but nonetheless took his hand. "Ken wants to see you. I advise that you hurry up," Ozzy said before pushing past the group and walking off in the direction they had just came from.

"And that is what Jeremy will be like if he doesn't take that stick out of his bum," Cascada said earning a few laughs and a couple of glares from Jeremy and Aelita. By the time they finished laughing they had already made it to the recording room. They entered it to see Ken talking to a young brunette hair woman and a boy about their age with white hair.

"Hey!" Ken greeted, "You all made it!"

The woman turned her bored gaze on the gang but the boy continued to stare in front of him from his place at the piano. The older man ushered in the kids further into the room.

"Guys, I want you to meet some people. This is Nyx Revelin," Ken said pointing to the brunette hair woman. She gave a lazy wave to the gang before taking out a small mirror and fixing her makeup. "And this is Terran Yuki," he said pointing to the boy.

"Hey! I know that name!" Musa exclaimed.

Though it was small, William saw both the woman and boy tensed. He looked at the others to see if they noticed it but it seemed like they didn't. He felt Cascada's hold on his hand get slightly tighter. She had noticed it too.

"Yeah," Musa nodded as if to confirm herself. "This girl that I met yesterday had one of your CDs." The plant A.I. and the shaggy hair teen saw as the two relaxed at their sister's words.

"Of course," Nyx said flipping her short hair over her shoulder. "Terran has become an over night sensation. I should know since I am his manger slash songwriter."

Musa frowned turning to the silent boy. "You don't write your own songs?" she asked.

"Terran has more important things to do," Nyx said coolly. "Now if we're done with introductions I would like to get to business, Miss…

"Utada," Cascada said. "Musa Utada and I am Cascada Hikaru, her half-sister."

"I didn't know you two were sisters!" Ken grinned. "Though now that I look at you, you two do look alike."

"I'm Odd Della Robbia, Musa's handsome boyfriend" the purple loving boy greeted as cheerfully as his father, not noticing the Terran's get tense again. "And this is my cousin, Aelita Stones," he said before quickly adding, "on my mother's side."

'_Would explain the hair color," _Ken thought to himself.

"Hey," Ulrich said raising his hand in greeting. "I'm Ulrich Stern. This is Yumi Ishiyama, my- uh, my…"

"His girlfriend," Yumi said slightly annoyed that the boy couldn't even say those words after all this time.

"Hello," Aelita greeted warmly. "I'm Aelita Stones, Odd's cousin and Musa's and Cascada's younger sister," she said. William and Cascada noticed Nyx's stare stay a little too long on Aelita before moving on.

"Wait," Ken said holding up his hands. "I'm confused."

"Aelita-chan is our step sister, so I'm not related to Odd," Musa explained. "Our parents just returned from their recent anniversary but are in the process to moving to a new house."

"_Clever," _Nyx thought to herself as she discreetly eyed the three sisters.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Ken shrugged.

"I'm Jeremy Belpois," the computer whiz said.

"Also Aelita's boyfriend though both always have their heads stuck in the books," Odd grinned as his two friends blushed.

"William Dunbar," the shaggy hair teen said simply holding the gaze of the brunette hair woman. "Cascada's boyfriend and Musa's unofficial brother," he said while taking a protective stance next to the two. Musa realized something was wrong but decided to ask later.

"Well since everyone is all introduced let's get down to business!" Ken said enthusiastically.

"Yes, Terran and I have very busy schedules," Nyx said sitting down.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Yumi asked.

"A deal basically," Ken said.

"What kind of deal?" Cascada asked.

"A merging." Nyx yawned.

"Merging?" Odd asked not exactly liking where this was going.

"A merging of bands, sciocco," Terran murmured finally uttering words and they weren't the best way to start off a relationship with Odd Della Robbia.

* * *

Hey guys! It's V-Day but I'm boycotting it! Call me what you want by I think it's a really superficial holiday. That's my opinion. Now, on to stuff about the story! I meant to have sent this in earlier but for some reason it was taking so long to load onto fanficition so...yeah. I finally named the two charaters that were in the car when Musa was rushing to the rehersal. Terran Yuki and Nyx Revelin. I still have a few more characters to introduce but they'll come later.

Odd's a little bit more bold in his relationship with Musa because he got over his initial shyness with finding a girl he actually really likes. Also, I know it seemed kind of weird with the whole introduction thing with the gang and the new characters but there is kind of a purpose that will be explained next chapter.

Just to let you know, I always try to give my characters name that will match their personality in the story. If you can figure out what Terran's or Nyx's name mean (either first name, last name, or both) I'll give you a special surprise!

I probably wont be able to update until much later then I usually do. I have a lot of projects that I've been pushing back and now they've come back to haunt me. Man, I really need to stop procrastinating. My mom even yelled at me about that too and it's even worst that I have to send in the finally draft of my powerpoint this Saturday and I have even collected any data! Oh well, I'll just have to make up so really believable stuff. UHHHH! I'm so screwed!

Okay, melt down over. You know what to do so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	5. Obscure Dreams

_This chapter is dedicated to everyone who figured out either part or all of Terran's and Nyx's names. So major props to **Edward Cullen's Girl, alteris, Dark Rose, chao m, and Maya4eva14. **You guys rock!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I only own Musa, Cascada, any new characters you see in this story, and the story's plot.**

**Obscure Dreams**

_**Musa's P.O.V.**_

Sighing, I ran my fingers over my guitar's strings, deep in thought. It was the night before we leave for the Alps, a few days after our little meeting with Terran Yuki and Nyx Revelin and it doesn't seem like we started off on the right foot.

Somehow, within the first five minutes, Odd and Terran had formed some kind of intense dislike for each other. I know the guy called him a fool in Italian but usually Odd would just get over it. Maybe Odd feels like Terran may steal the spotlight from him. Our band is already big enough. Merging ourselves with two more people alone would make it seem crowded. We don't even know if it'll just be Terran and Nyx or if they'll bring some of their own members.

Also, Cas and Will seem to be…I don't know, on edge lately. Even more then Jeremy if that is even possible. I still don't realize what the purpose of the whole introducing thing they did was all about. I mean, I know you have to introduce yourself when you meet someone new but…I felt like Cas and Will were trying to lay down the rules or something. Maybe I'm reading into things a little too much.

"What do you think, Ichigo?" I asked my little kitty, who was curled up at the foot of my bed. She merely raised her head from their place on her paws before she put it back down. "Thought so," I said laughing at myself.

I yawned, stretching my body before collapsing on my back against my bed. Tired, I placed my guitar on the floor before letting myself fall to the clutches of sleep.

_**Musa's Dream**_

Snow. Pure white snow lay before her and she could see her breath as it fogged up the clear window before it cleared up once again. It was everything she imagined snow to be. She wanted to run out in the snow, she wanted to feel its slushy coldness, but she couldn't. She couldn't stray from the room. That's what the men in black suits told her. She turned around to face the room she was in, filled with three other kids her age, wearing matching white outfits, who where between 3-5 years old. She was the youngest at age 3.

A dark, long, messy hair boy with dark eyes sat next to a dull blonde hair little girl with green eyes, defiant looks on both their faces. The two had maybe formed an unspoken bond between each other. They were the unofficial leaders of the small group of children.

Sitting alone in a corner was red headed little boy, about four, staring desiringly out the window. His gaze briefly caught with that of the younger girl who was observing the room from near the window. She quickly broke eye contact with him and began to twirl a lock of her raven hair around her finger since there were no toys to entertain any of them with.

The four children were situated in a small room, three of the walls a blinding white and the other wall was an entire window that showed a small area of snow covered ground surrounded by thick woods.

There were other children, but they were all in separate rooms, not allowed to come into contact with each other.

The door opened, revealing a graying man with thick rimmed glasses that seemed to hide his eyes. He wore a white lab coat and held a writing pad with loose pieces of paper sticking out from it.

"Hello, children," the man said in a pleasant voice though all four children knew it sounded detached and distant.

"Hello, Mr. Schaeffer," the children greeted in unison.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jean-Pierre Delmas, the supposedly respected principal of Kadic Academy International Boarding School of France, was obviously not a very lucky man. Not only did he had to deal with more then 300 students everyday and a daughter who constantly wanted everything in the world, he also had to deal with health inspectors, parents, teachers, and the French Board of Education that weren't too please with Kadic's two percent drop in test scores. Of course, to anyone else two percent wouldn't seem like much but to Jean-Pierre Delmas his whole reputation was being put on the line.

Maybe that was why he had so eagerly accepted the generous offer from the CEO of Lycoris Incorporated, Emeric McArnald, when he did without any hesitation.

But that really wasn't the reason why Kadic's principal felt like he was unlucky. He felt like he was unlucky because it was the day of the departure for the trip and he had the flu. Who would have guessed? The flu in the summer time. As he thought of the warm blankets and hot steaming bowls of soup that awaited him when he retired to his room he wondered, "_Why did I have to get sick during the hottest time of the season? This is what I get for canceling my doctor's appointment just to play that stupid but oh so addicting Penguin Head Toss game. Curse you penguins!"_

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jim Morales swelled with pride. Since Mr. Delmas was ill, that left him as the head of the trip. For a short period of time he was going to receive the amount of respect that he thought he rightfully deserved.

"Okay, listen up everyone," the P.E. teacher said getting the attention of all the students going on the trip who were gathered around the rented charter bus. "Mr. Delmas is unable to attend the ski trip with you all but in his place I will be the head chaperone. Now if you all get in a straight line I'll assign-"

Poor Jim didn't even get to finish his sentence before he was practically pushed aside by a horde of students, all eager to sit with their friends.

Everyone in the Lyoko gang were able to get seats close to each other near the back of the bus. Jeremy and Aelita sat together with William and Cascada in the seats across from them. Musa and Odd were in the seats in front of William and Cascada (which William had personally planned that way, for over protective brother reasons) and Ulrich and Yumi sat in the seats in front of Jeremy and Aelita and across from Odd and Musa.

The wolf A.I. let out a long yawn as she shifted her backpack that held a sleeping Ichigo in her lap. Odd had done the same with Kiwi. "Tired?" the purple loving blonde asked.

"Kind of," the bi-color hair girl said leaning her head on the boy's shoulder. He instantly wrapped an arm her shoulders which he knew was perfectly appropriately to do in front of William without having himself killed. "I kind of had a weird dream," she murmured closing her eyes.

"Really?" Odd asked gently stroking her hair.

"Yeah," the girl yawned again, snuggling closer to her boyfriend before promptly falling asleep.

"Whoa, the long boring road trip hasn't even started yet and she's already knocked out," Ulrich commented.

Cascada stood in her seat slightly to look down at her sister. "She looks totally drained. What have you been doing with her Della Robbia?"

"Nothing!" Odd said more to William then to the plant A.I.

"How long is this ride supposed to last?" Aelita asked.

"A few hours," Jeremy guessed before turning to Cascada. "Are you sure that we'll find a working computer there?" he said not disclosing anymore information than necessary in case someone was listening.

"For the billionth time, four eyes, yes it will work," Cascada sighed in exhaustion as she took her sketch pad out, lost once again in her own world.

William, not liking the idea of a long road trip, decided to follow, Musa's lead and go to sleep. The last words he heard was Yumi muttering, "Man, everyone is falling asleep. I'm starting to feel so old."

_**William's Dream**_

He felt his legs and arms being tied down, though he already knew that he couldn't move them anyway. They had paralyzed him. Blinding white light shone from above him as dark faceless figures hovered above him.

"Is the host ready?" he heard one of the faceless men asked.

"Yes," another one said.

"Good. Let's start the fusion…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Cascada watched as William shift uneasily in his seat. The bus had begun moving and they were already an hour into the ride when William began to murmur in his sleep. He was having another dream. She had thought he would have stopped having them once Xana was gone but they seemed to just come more and more.

She had spent countless nights in either his room or hers simply comforting him with her presence as he slept. It was the only thing she could do. He would never tell her or anyone else what he dreamt, save for Musa which caused Cascada to be slightly jealous. Why couldn't he tell her, his own girlfriend?

The strawberry blonde sighed as she put her sketch pad back into her pack before gently shifting William in his seat so he was leaning comfortable against her. She lightly ran her fingers through his hair trying to soothe him.

She watched as his stiff shoulders eventually relaxed before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

"_What are you trying to hide from me, William?" _she asked herself.

* * *

Okay, so I finally got to this. Lately, I've been working on oneshots so...yeah. Pretty short chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to post more later this weekend but not sure.

Hmm, seems like Will isn't the only one who is having strange dreams. What could this mean? What's triggering these dreams? Don't ask me, I'm still trying to work out the fine details of this so...yeah.

Been working on some one shots for Code Lyoko. You can find them in **_MistFairie93's Collection of Lyoko Oneshots. _**I finished a multi-shot for _Edward Cullen's Girl _and now I'm working on one for _alteris, _followed by _Dark Rose. _I also owe oneshots/multishots to _chao m_ and _Maya4eve14 _but you two will need to send in a review specifying what you want them to be about since neither of you seem to be logged in so I can't get in contact with you.

Um...nothimg more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	6. A New Arrival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, Terran, Nyx, Sitara, Ralph, and this story's plot.**

**A New Arrival**

Blue green eyes fluttered open as the bus jostled to a stop. Utada yawned, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She was thankful that she was able to sleep dreamlessly. Though she didn't know what the meaning of her dreams were or if they even had any meanings to begin with, she didn't want Odd or the others to worry about her.

Speaking of said purple loving boy, the wolf A.I. giggled when she realized that Odd had fallen asleep too, his arms, as always, wrapped protectively around her. She managed to get out of embrace without waking him to look out of the window. A thin layer of snow and frost covered the hard ground outside. Were they there?

"Okay, everyone," Jim bellowed. "This is a rest stop so if any of you need to, you know, do any of your private business then now is the time."

The students on the bus quickly got up all rushing towards the washroom. Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy headed out to go stretch their legs while Cascada and Musa were stuck with the task of waking their boyfriends up.

"What do you think we should do?" Musa asked as she and her sister stared down at the sleeping boys.

"Wake them, of course," Cascada said with a mischievous smile as small green sparks played across her fingertips.

"That's mean!" Musa gasped. "Let's do it!" she grinned, "I'll wake Will."

"Then I'll do Odd," Cascada agreed.

"Don't kill him," the wolf A.I. warned.

"Party pooper," the plant A.I. pouted.

At the same time they turned to the two unsuspecting sleeping boys blue or green sparks dancing across their finger tips before they touched the boys; William on the arm and Odd on the forehead.

It was an amusing sight to see both boys jump feet from their seats only to hit their heads on the bus's low ceiling, rubbing their heads.

"What the-" William groaned before he noticed the two smirking A.I.s

"Rest stop," Cascada said simply before she pulled a laughing Musa out of the bus with her the two boys getting enough of their wits to begin chasing them.

A sleek black car pulled into the parking space of the rest stop, windows tinted. Nervous hands fidgeted with the hem of an orange scarf in the backseat of the car as caramel eyes flickered from each child that was nearby.

"Don't worry, miss," the chauffer, Ralph, said turning around to face the anxious girl. "You'll do fine."

The cinnamon skin girl nodded, curls bouncing with the up and down movement. The door to the backseat was open as a man wearing a sweat suit came over towards her.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm Jim Morales. I'm glad you could join us, Miss…"

"Sitara," Ralph spoke for the girl. "Sitara Deangelo. You have been instructed of her…condition, right?"

"Yes, yes," Jim nodded before turning towards the timid girl. "I hope you enjoy this trip, Deangelo, and feel free to see me if you need anything but I'm sure your future fellow classmates will be willing to help you with anything-"

"MUSA! WATCH OUT!"

The wolf A.I. had turned her head back while running to see if Odd or William was still chasing her when Cascada called out a warning to her. Unfortunately it came too late and Musa crashed into someone.

"Ow," she groaned getting off the person she had run into. "Gomen. I wasn't looking and- Hey! You're that girl I saved!" By this time the rest of the Lyoko gang with a few other students had made their way over towards the commotion that Utada was calling. "See!" Musa said turning to Cascada. "I wasn't lying! I saved this girl from being run over! Isn't that right?" she asked turning to the girl who was still getting over the initial shock of having all attention on her. She merely nodded before Musa turned back to her friends saying "I told you so," in a childish manner.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Cascada said coolly waving off her sister. "Did you even ask her for her name?"

"Uh…" the wolf A.I. began.

"This is Sitara Deangelo," Jim introduced. "She'll be a dorm student next year."

"Oh, so she's the girl my father was talking about," Sissi said with a knowing smirk. Musa noticed and didn't like the look on the principal's daughter's face.

"Anyway," Jim continued. "I want you all to be nice to her and make her feel welcome," he said before going off to help Ralph pack the girl's stuff onto the bus.

"So, I guess since you're new I should give you the 411," Sissi said flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Musa rolled her eyes, taking Sitara gently by the arm and leading her towards her friends. Caramel colored eyes looked nervously between Sissi and Musa but the wolf A.I. gave her a reassuring smile, putting her at ease and reminding her of someone she knew…

"Don't mind Sissi," Musa explained. "She thinks she's God's gift to the world but she's just an annoying Banshee. I'm Musa Utada by the way," the blue-green eye girl said stopping in front of her friends. "And these are my friends. That's Yumi, Ulrich, Jeremy, Aelita, William, Cascada, and Odd."

"Hey," Odd grinned extending his hand out to the girl. "Uh, what was your name again?" he asked as his friends sighed.

Sitara bit her lip. "Go on," Aelita encouraged the girl. "Odd doesn't bite."

"Unless your food," Ulrich murmured.

"Hey!"

The caramel eye girl took out a phone that looked like it was specifically made for text messaging. She typed a few words in before handing it to Odd who, along with the others looked at it confusedly as they saw that she had typed her name.

"Why didn't you just say that?" Odd asked not getting why the girl wasn't talking though the others were slowly piecing it together. "What?" Odd joked, "cat got your tongue?"

"Odd!" Yumi hissed suddenly as she elbowed the boy.

"What did I do now?" the purple loving boy asked rubbing his side. He looked back at Sitara and was surprised to see the girl on the verge of tears.

"You can't talk, can you?" Musa asked softly.

Sitara looked towards the ground, shaking her head as her hands gripped at the hem of her jacket. She was startled when she felt and arm placed around her shoulder.

"It's okay," Musa smiled. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. We're all different."

"Some of us more then others," Jeremy murmured as Odd tried to touch his nose with his tongue.

Deangelo looked at the neon blue streaked hair girl for a few seconds before nodding, a shy smile on her face.

"Everyone, time to get back on the bus," Jim called after he and Ralph were finally able to get Sitara's stuff with the other suitcases.

"Come on, Sitara!" Musa said enthusiastically as she and Aelita took one of the girl's hands. "You're sitting with us! We're not going to let you brae Sissi alone!"

"Sissi bashing?" Cascada asked following the three girls along with Yumi to the bus. "I'm definitely in."

From nearby, Jim and Ralph looked at the group of quick friends. "It seems like Ms. Sitara has made friends quickly," Ralph observed with a soft smile.

"Leave it to Utada to be able to make quick friends," Jim said.

Ralph nodded. "Well, I must go. My original clients are expecting me soon," the chauffer said.

"I understand," Jim said grinned before his face grew serious. "Be careful," he said, unspoken but understood meanings hidden behind the words.

Ralph nodded before looking back at the bus where he could Sitara smiling as Musa animatedly talked to her. He turned back to Jim, shaking hands with him before getting into his car and smoothly pulling out of the parking lot.

Jim's weary eyes watched the car before he turned to his students, ushering the slow pokes to the bus.

Ralph had driven a few miles away from the rest stop when his phone rang.

"Did you drop her off?" a voice asked.

"Yes," Ralph nodded though he knew that he couldn't be seen. "She's safe and in good hands."

There was no other reply other than a confirming grunt and the sound of the phone going dead.

* * *

Hey guys! Finally able to update though I'm supposed to be doing homework. Oh well, that's what study hall is for. Anyway, I've introduced a new character though you already met her but that was only for a second. Yes, she's mute but with everything there is a reason. If any of you know anyone who is mute it would really help me if you tell me if I'm doing something that seem out of place. I know people who are deaf but not mute so it would be a big help. 

Anyway...**56 reviews! **OMG! I love you all! You guys rock!

I would like to thank:

**_HoboLover_**

**_alteris_**

**_chao m_**

**_fightingpacifist_**

**_Miss Dark Shiva_**

**_cheerfulpessimist-and-darkrose_**

**_Lyokoluva_**

**_NiGHTChild68_**

**_WilliamTA_**

**_Lonelydreamer27_**

**_Mata-Nui3000_**

**_emerald lady_**

**_Synneofthesun_**

**_Gregoryhell_**

**_Maya4eva14 _**

**_Edward Cullen's Girl_**

**_Thanks guys!_**

Next chapter should be up soon. Don't forget to read _MistFairie93's Collection of Lyoko Oneshots!_

Also, I'm thinking about changing my name. I haven't come up with a definite name yet but when I do I'll tell you.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!!_**


	7. Be Our Guest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, Sitara, and any new charaters that appear in this chapter except for Cassie, Brooke, and Zoey. They belong to HoboLover. I also own the plot.**

**Be Our Guest**

Musa stared out the window as the bus slowly came to another stop. "We're here!" one of the other students shouted happily.

"Finally," Ulrich sighed in relief. "I don't know how much longer I could have survived with Odd's singing."

"Hey," the spiky hair boy said. "I have a great voice!"

"You do," Aelita agreed, "but you hardly ever show it unless we're performing."

The blonde grinned. "I just like messing with Ulrich is all," he grinned.

"Watch out Musa," Cascada smirked. "You may be losing Odd to Ulrich." The blonde boy and the brunette boy looked at each other before cringing.

"No thanks. I like girls," Ulrich said placing an arm around Yumi. "Not dweebs, like Odd."

"Yeah," Odd agrees. "He likes girls, not dweebs like- Hey!"

The rest of the group laughed, including Sitara who seemed to be enjoying the Lyoko gang's company.

"I think we should hurry up and find out our rooms," Jeremy said. "The sooner we do that the sooner we can…you know," he said glancing quickly at Sitara to see if she had overheard anything she shouldn't have before looking at the others.

"Relax Jer," Cascada said. "You're forgetting this is a vacation so I expect to be seeing you go down those mountains at lease once."

"Whatever," the computer whiz huffed as they all made their way out of the bus.

Odd and Musa both tried to calm down their pets that were still hidden within their packs. The animals were begging to become anxious. "Just wait a little, Ichigo," Musa said to her kitten. "We have to get our rooms."

They walked towards the hotel following the other students. The outside of the hotel looked like a large lodge with about seven floors. As they stepped in, the group of kids found their jaws dropping.

The inside of the hotel was spectacular. A large fountain decorated with native foliage was the center piece of the room, water overflowing the rock steps and going into a small pond containing fish similar to koi. The room was decorated with red and gold, giving off a sense of richness while still managing to keep a warm and welcoming fell. One of the walls facing the snow covered mountains was made entirely out of glass giving a great view. The room was filled with people of different nationalities and cultures. People entered the lobby from glass elevators that could be seen going up and down the levels of the hotel.

"How much would you bet that the cheap school of ours didn't pay for this?" William asked.

"All of my savings," Cascada murmured looking around, pleased to find out that they were to be staying at a comfortable looking hotel.

Musa scanned the room and her eyes fell on a shiny black grand piano sitting atop of a raised platform. Her fingers twitched at her sides but she resisted the urge to run her fingers along its sleek surface.

"Alright, listen up," Jim said getting the students attention. "We'll be staying here for our entire trip and I want you to know that the rooms you are staying in aren't your dorm rooms meaning that I do not want the hotel staff to be calling me saying that one of you blew a hole in the wall," he said looking at some younger students who were snickering at a prank they had done a while ago. "Anyway, you'll be put into suite with four other people. The rooms are fairly large and each of you will have your own. Also, the floors will be separated just like Kadic so boys stay on your floor and girls stay on yours," he said giving a look towards the Lyoko gang.

They all looked nervous. Did Jim know that they had been going to each others rooms late at night?

"Well, that's all I have to say other then be on your best behavior. Remember that Mr. McArnald is sponsoring this trip so you all are representing Kadic and him," Jim said scratching the back of his neck as he thought of anything else to say. "Oh yeah, the manager of the hotel wants to say a few words too," he said stepping to the side as a woman stepped forward.

The Lyoko gang, specificly Musa, Cascada, and Aelita, were slightly surprised when they saw the woman. She couldn't have been any older than mid twenties. She had bright red hair, which actually looked natural, and it was pulled into a bun held by two pairs of black chopsticks. Her eyes were a mint green with flecks of ivy green. She was of average height with a petite figure wearing a burgundy hotel suit jacket and skirt. The woman radiated of friendliness despite that she held herself with an air of intelligence.

"Hello," she greeted warmly. "My name is Anita Emeraldson and I am the hotel manager. I hope you all enjoy your stay here and remember the number one rule." The students of Kadic sighed as they waited to hear a long drawn out speech. "Have fun," the hotel manager smiled before walking off. On her way she accidentally bumped shoulders with Musa. "Oh! Excuse me, dear" Anita apologized, no hint of malice or mockery in her voice.

"That's okay," Musa grinned shrugging it off as the woman smiled once again and left.

"Okay everyone here's your room assignments," Kadic's P.E. teacher said handing out papers to everyone.

Cascada quickly scanned the sheet before groaning. "You GOT to be kidding me!"

"What is it?" Yumi asked.

"Me, you, Aelita, Musa, and Sitara are sharing a suite," the plant A.I. informed.

"What's wrong with that?" Musa asked.

"We got stuck with Sissi," Aelita sighed.

Sitara didn't really know Sissi well but from what she heard from the others she could tell that the girl wasn't very nice.

"Wait," William said, "I thought Jim said that it was groups of five."

"I did," Jim said appearing behind them. After the teens had settled their pounding hearts from just being startled the man continued. "We had and uneven amount of students due to Deangelo's arrival so there had to be one group with an extra person in it." Sitara looked down sadly. It was here fault that her new friends were stuck with Sissi.

"Stop looking so depressed, Deangelo," Cascada sighed, "It's not your fault".

"For real," Musa grinned. "Turn that frown upside down!"

"That is so old," Cascada murmured rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," Musa said turning away from her sister and hooking arms with Sitara. "Just because we're sharing a room with Banshee-chan it doesn't mean we can't have fun!" she said enthusiastically as she and the rest of the groups girls walked over to the elevators.

"Hey! What about your suitcases?" Odd asked.

"Oh you can guys can handle them," Aelita giggled as the girl's entered the elevator.

"Well I'm certainly not caring all of those bags upstairs," Jeremy said.

"Einstein's right," Odd said. "We shouldn't be taking orders from them. We're men!" The rest of the Lyoko gang males agreed getting riled up before their enthusiasm quickly faded.

"They'll kill us if we don't do what they say. Won't they?" Ulrich sighed as the other nodded solemnly in agreement. They all sighed as they picked up their girlfriends bags, thier bags, and splitting Sitara's amongst themselves.

"Whipped," Hiroki muttered to his friend, Johnny.

"Hey, Hiroki," Milly, one of the schools reporters called out to the boy. "Do you think you and Johnny can help me and Tamiya with our bags?"

"Sure!" the young Japanese boy said eagerly dragging his friend over to help carry his crush and her friend's bags.

"I wonder if they know that the hotel has a bell hop service," Jim murmured to himself, grinning. "Guess that's young love," he shrugged.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Musa gasped as she and the other girls entered their suite. It was so big! The main room had a living room with a plasma screen T.V with surround sound, video games, karaoke machine and a large comfortable looking couch. A kitchen was nearby and the room had six doors leading from it which they assumed led to the bedrooms. There was also a great view of the mountains.

"I guess this will be our home away from home," Cascada looking around the room.

"So, how are we going to decide about rooming arrangements?" Aelita asked. "Since there are going to be seven of us and only six rooms two of us will need to share a room."

"Easy," a voice that all of them didn't want to hear said, "I get my own room and first pick." They turned around to see Sissi standing in the door way with Nicolas and Herve flanking her sides.

"Hey," Cascada said coolly, "leave your pets outside. I don't want to get fleas from them."

The boys scowled but Sissi held up her hand to hold them back. "You know, I was about to do just that," she said flipping her hair over her shoulder, "but then I saw you in here and I thought it was okay, bitch."

"Oh that's understandable, brat," the plant A.I. said not even flinching.

Sitara stared nervously between the two girls from her place next to Musa. She could tell that both girls were getting ready to argue and she was never too comfortable when people were arguing. She felt herself take a step back; trying to distance herself but it seemed only to draw more attention to her as Sissi caught sight of her.

"Hey! Mute girl!" the principal's daughter said.

"She has a name!" Yumi frowned.

"Use it, Banshee-chan," Musa growled.

"And who is going to make me?" Sissi asked.

"Maybe we can persuade you," a voice said behind her. She turned around to see William, Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy standing behind her, Nicolas and Herve nowhere in sight.

"Oh, hello Ulrich dear," Sissi said in an overly sugary sweet voice.

"Don't," the brunette said moving past her, setting the bags he was carrying on the floor and slipping his hand into Yumi's with only a faint blush on his cheeks.

Sissi bristled angrily, not realizing that Cascada had slipped behind her. "You can have your own room," the strawberry blonde said startling the girl. "I doubt that none of us want to wake up to a green goop monster."

The Lyoko gang chuckled as Sissi stormed into one of the rooms. Musa turned to Sitara, once again hooking her arms with the girl. "Come on Sitara, let's walk," she said guiding the girl out of the room.

"But Musa!" Jeremy called after them as they entered the elevator. "What about, you know?" he said meaning the supercomputer.

"It's been there for the last few years it'll be there for a few more hours," Musa said before the doors closed.

She sighed turning to Sitara. "Jeremy sometimes worries too much," she grinned. "I hope you don't mind. It was getting a little crowded in there," she said to the caramel eye girl who nodded, her hands nervously clasped before her. Musa noticed. "Like I said before, don't let Sissi get to you. Just because you can't talk doesn't mean you should let her walk all over you." Deangelo nodded a shy smile on her face. Musa returned the smile with a bright one. "You know Sitara-chan, I think we'll be very good friends," she said squeezing the mute girl's hand reassuringly.

The doors opened and they exited into the hotel lobby which seemed to have less people then before. Musa's eyes immediately fell on the shiny black piano. She found herself being pulled to it and without even realizing it she was sitting in front of it. Sitara looked unsure as she quietly sat next to blue streaked hair girl.

The wolf A.I. let her fingers graze the piano's keys, barely even touching them as she went into a sort of trance like state.

_Curious blue-green eyes watched as long fingers gently glided across white and black keys. The eyes strayed from the playing fingers and to the glasses wearing man playing them._

Utada shook her head as she came out of her day dream. She barely gave it any thought as she stationed her fingers above the keys and played a somewhat somber tone. As she continued on the tone lightened up slightly. Musa smiled softly as words came to her head to go along with the music.

_Under your spell again  
I can't say no to you  
Crave my heart and it's bleeding in your hand  
I can't say no to you_

_Shouldn't let you torture me so sweetly  
Now I can't let go of this dream  
I can't breathe but I feel_

_Good enough  
I feel good enough  
For you_

Sitara gasped. She never knew that her new friend could sing so…beautifully. The girl could hear so much expression. It was like nothing else she had ever heard, except…

_Drink up sweet decadence  
I can't say no to you  
And I've completely lost myself and I don't mind  
I can't say no to you_

_Shouldn't let you conquer me completely  
Now I can't let go of this dream  
Can't believe that I feel_

_Good enough  
I feel good enough  
It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good_

_And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall  
Pour real life down on me  
'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough  
Am I good enough for you to love me too?_

Musa softly smiled at Sitara before tossing her head back and letting out a few deep hums.

_So take care what you ask of me  
'Cause I can't say no_

The wolf A.I. paused, staring at the keys. She was broken from her daze when she heard someone clapping, followed by someone else and soon more people were clapping. She looked up to see that a crowed had gathered around her without her noticing. She blushed; embarrassed that she had called attention to herself.

"Okay people. The show is over," a voice called through the crowed pushing through the onlookers to make their way towards the young singer.

Musa found herself coming face to face with brownish red hair young woman with brown-blue eyes. She appeared to be in her early twenties and wore a hotel uniform with a name tag that had "I can only please one person a day and today is not your day" on it where a name should have been. Three earrings lined her right ear lobe, one green, one blue, and one red.

"Uh, hi?" Musa asked confused as the girl stood before her, hands on her hips with a frown on her face.

"Though I'll admit that your playing wasn't half bad, hotel residents are not permitted to play the piano unless they have the manger's permission," the young woman said.

"Brooke, leave her alone," a voice sighed as two more hotel employees came into view. They were both two young women about the same age as the other woman, Brooke.

One was a brunette with her hair pulled into a ponytail. She had on the standard hotel uniform with a black belt hanging from her hips. On her left earlobe she had the same earrings as Brooke.

The other girl had pink hair that stopped below her ears, though it was a shade or two darker then Aelita's, almost to the point where it could be mistaken for red. She had greenish black eyes and a small bell hanging from her neck by a black ribbon that seemed to ring with every step she took.

"Look, Cassie," Brooke said, "I'm just trying to keep the hotel in order while Anita is out. You do remember what happened last time," she said as she and Cassie looked at the pink hair girl.

"What?" the girl asked.

"You know what, Zoey" Brooke said. "The last time the manager left, you were put in charge and the hotel was in ruins! It's a good think they fired him. I don't know how long the hotel would have stood if he was still here."

Zoey pouted before turning her gaze on Musa and Sitara. "Tara?" she asked in shock before without warning she was glompping the girl. "Oh my gosh! Cassie! Brooke! Look! It's Tara!"

The other two women looked at the silent girl before they gasped. They, too, without any warning embraced the girl, squeezing the air out of the poor girl.

"Sitara!" Brooke said, her icy demeanor quickly replaced by a warmer cheerful one. "It's been so long since we've seen you!"

"Yeah," Cassie agreed. "How've you been?" Sitara grinned shyly happy to not only be able to breathe but to see some old friends.

Zoey turned to Musa, finally noticing the girl. "Hey! You were the one playing the piano!"

"I think we already determined that, Zoey," Brooke sighed exhaustedly. "Anyway," she said turning to the blue-green eye girl, "sorry about that. I'm Brooke, that's Cassie and that's Zoey. Who are you?"

"She's Musa Utada," Anita said appearing behind the three employees. "And I believe you three," she laughed, "should be getting back to work."

"Yes, ma'am!" all three young women said before turning to Sitara and Musa.

"Sorry we couldn't chat," Cassie said.

"Yeah, but we'll try to find you later on our break," Brooke said.

"See ya Tara!" Zoey waved as she and the others went back to work.

"Those three are hard workers," the hotel manger chuckled, "but sometimes they can be a handful. Well, I hope you two enjoy your stay," she said before she too walked off.

"Well they seemed nice," Musa thought aloud. Sitara vigorously nodded her head. "I guess we should head back to the suite before Jeremy gets his underwear in a bunch," she joked. Sitara smiled, holding back her laughter.

They headed towards the elevator when a copper hair young man stopped them. "I just wanted to say that you have marvelous talent miss," he said.

"Arigatou," Musa thanked him. The man nodded, giving her a polite smile before walking away. Musa couldn't help but to watch the man's retreating back until he went out of her view.

Sitara tugged on Musa's hand, once again waking Utada from her daze. "Oh, gomen," Musa apologized before they headed to their suite.

* * *

Hey guys! I got the another chapter up. Mostly an introduction chapter where I introduce characters that will play important roles later on. Thanks so much to Hobo Lover for letting me borrow his charaters. You rock dude! Sorry if they're kind of out of character.

I'm glad everyone likes Sitara so far. As you can probably tell, she has some self concious issues that will be explained later on in the story.

The song in this chapter is _Good Enough _by Evanescence. Listen to it! It's great.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	8. Recollecting Memory Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Cassie, Brooke, and Zoey(they belong to the awesome Hobo Lover). I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and everyone else who wasn't in the show.**

**Recollecting Memories- Part 1**

"_Weirdo!" they shouted._

_"Freak!" they lashed out._

_"What? Cat got your tongue?" they mocked._

_Several older and bigger boys surrounded a small child. She was backed against the wall of a dead end, bruises beginning to form on her body. Tears ran down her dirt covered face as she prayed to what ever divine force was listening that the boys would just go away; that they would just leave her alone._

_She wondered what her chances of actually coming out of this without any too noticeable wounds would be. She didn't want to worry __**him **__though it had been months since she had last seen him. He had probably forgotten about her. Everyone eventually did._

_"Hey!" one of the boys yelled grabbing on to her arms and pushing her hard against the wall. "Haven't you heard to speak when you're spoken too?"_

_She didn't respond. She couldn't._

_Angered, the boy pulled her away from the wall and tossed her to the ground. She tried to push herself up but one of the boys put his foot down on her back, crushing her back down to the ground._

_She bit her lip as she was kicked onto her back, staring up at the cloudy night sky. "_No one will save me_," she thought sadly as she let her body become numb to the harsh beatings she was getting from the boys. "_**He **won't save me…"

_Suddenly, the beating stopped as the boys were thrown back from off her. Her body was sore so she couldn't move it very well though she was able to move her head. She heard a small ringing of a bell followed by beating noises and cries of pains though this time they were coming from the boys who had attacked her._

_"Tara, are you okay?" a rose hair girl asked hovering over her before she turned her head to look over her shoulder as she heard another female voice shout._

_"What? You don't like how it feels to be beat up?" a brownish-red hair girl shouted, a brunette hair girl standing next to her as the boys scrambled to their feet to get away. The boys were all badly bruised and some were sure they had some ribs broken._

_The red head stood rigid until she was sure that all the boys were gone before relaxing and turning to the beaten girl._

_"Sitara, you shouldn't be out here so late," she said in a soft voice reserved only for people she cared about._

_"Yeah," the brunette said, "we wouldn't have been able to have found you if we hadn't been tipped off."_

_"_Tipped off?"_ the beaten girl thought to herself before she felt herself being pulled to her feet. She bit back her lip as she tried to hold back the pain she was feeling but she couldn't help but look appreciatively at the three girls helping her. "_Thank you Cassie, Brooke, Zoey," _she thought as the girls helped her to walk. As they walked down the deserted streets the beaten girl caught a shadowy figure standing on top of a roof near them. She smiled slightly as the figure disappeared in a blink of an eye. "_Thank you too."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Musa gasped as she bolted up awake in cold sweat. She placed her hand on her furiously pounding heart. Her mind tried to block out the images of her dream. It was the same dream she always had. She was stuck in the tube, the men in white jackets surrounding her, Hopper bearing witness yet not doing anything to help and then…nothing. Nothing except red.

She took a deep breath as she ran her hands through her hair. She looked across her room. Sitara was still peacefully asleep in the extra bed the hotel had put in the room.

"It's just a dream," the wolf A.I. whispered to herself before shivering slightly. She turned towards the window to find that it was opened. She stepped out of bed and walked towards the window. "Sitara must have opened it and forgotten to close it," she murmured to herself. She took a brief glance at the peaceful mountain view illuminated in the moon's soft glow before closing the window.

She didn't notice the presence of the shadowy figure looking at her from the hidden view of a nearby tree…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"You two love making my life a living hell don't you," Jeremy murmured, arms crossed.

"Aww! Don't be that way, Jer," Cascada pouted while once again sketching something in her sketch pad.

"Yeah," Musa joined in, pouting too. "We love you future brother-in-law!"

Jeremy chocked on his orange juice, taking the offered glass of water Aelita had offered to him. A light blush was on his cheeks and the two A.I. were smiling wickedly.

"You two should stop messing with Jeremy," Aelita chastised her sisters.

"Sorry, Aelita," both girl said simultaneously looking down guiltily though they were both laughing internally at their little stunt.

Sitara smiled as she looked around her table of new friends. It was the next day and the group of friends was eating breakfast, enjoying the meal though she noticed Jeremy seemed anxious for some reason.

"Tara!" a hyper voice shouted out as a bell rang before the mute girl felt arms wrap around her from behind.

"Zoey, I don't think she can breathe," Cassie said coming up behind the rose colored hair girl, Brooke following.

"Well, if it isn't our little rule breaker," Brooke said noticing Musa. "I see you have some other little rascals that we'll have to watch out for," she said with a friendly smile.

Musa smiled back. "It's nice to see you three again," she said before noticing that the three young women were not in their uniforms but in casual clothes.

Cassie and Brooke were both wearing black sweaters and pants though Cassie had a vibrant red skirt and belt hanging from her hips while Brooke had a silver chain going from her belt loop to her back pocket and was wearing a black leather jacket. Zoey, unlike her two friends was wearing a pink sweater with jeans that had doodles down the leg.

"Going to a funeral or going out on a ride on your Harley?" Cascada asked raising a questioning brow at Cassie and Brooke's dark outfits.

"No," Brooke said. "But I might as well be going to a funeral since those clothes you're wearing are so last year."

Cascada grinned, as did Brooke. "I like this girl," they said simultaneously.

"Freaky," Zoey said hiding behind Cassie.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" the plant A.I. asked her sister.

"Oh yeah!" Musa said rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "This is Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey. They're friends of Sitara."

"You three look older then us," Yumi observed.

"Yeah, are you still in high school?" Ulrich asked.

"No," Cassie said shaking her head. "We actually go to a university near Paris but during the summer holidays we like to come here and work."

"The pay is good and all the good stuff happens around this time," Brooke said.

"What kind of stuff?" William asked.

Brooke shrugged. "It's different every year but usually there are a couple of dances for the guest and a few fashion shows."

"Fashion shows?" Cascada asked curious.

Zoey nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, and sometimes if a model can't make it, they ask someone from the hotel staff to fill in. Last time Brooke, Cassie, and I all got to be in it."

"Who exactly are in these fashion shows?" Odd asked taking a break from eating his seventh plate of eggs and bacon. For some reason, Musa noticed that he was stiff.

"Like we said before," Brooke sighed, "it changes every year. Usually it's just amateur designers but sometimes notable designers come to check out the "new meat", so to say and see if any of them would be a contribution to their designs."

"Well this is all very interesting," Jeremy said standing up. "But we need to go."

"Fine," Cassie shrugged. "We just stopped by to ask Sitara if she wanted to hang out with us."

Sitara looked at her new friends to see if they would mind. "Go ahead," Aelita smiled seeing the girl's uncertain look. "What Jeremy has planned for us won't be interesting at all."

"Aelita!" Jeremy said slightly hurt before the pink hair girl gave him a peck on the cheeks instantly lightening his moods.

"Yay!" Zoey said happily as she pulled Sitara to her feet. "This is so great! We can finally have time to catch up," she said dragging the mute girl out of the eating room.

"Well, I guess we'll bump into you guys later," Cassie grinned before walking off with Brooke who gave a lazy wave over her shoulder in farewell.

"Now that they're gone," Jeremy said, "Let's find the supercomputer," he said getting up. The rest of the Lyoko gang got up too except for Musa, Cascada, and Aelita. "What are you three waiting for?" Jeremy asked.

"Do you really think it's that easy," Cascada said crossing her arms, her voice and expression serious.

"What are you talking about?" Yumi asked.

"Do you have any idea where _exactly _the location of the supercomputer is?" Musa asked, also looking as stoic as her sister.

"We thought you two knew," Odd frowned.

"Then you thought wrong," Cascada said flatly.

"What?" Jeremy asked enraged.

"Don't blame them," Aelita said. "They were stuck inside the supercomputer all the time my family lived here." For some reason, Musa wanted to say that that wasn't true though she didn't know why. "So it's not their fault. It's mine," she said softly biting her lip. "I can't…I can't remember where…" A tear rolled down the pink hair girl's face and Jeremy was instantly at her side comforting her.

"It's okay," Jeremy said trying to comfort her. "I didn't mean to upset you, Aelita. I just-"

"Let's give them some room," Cascada said getting up along with Musa and leaving the two alone as the rest if the Lyoko gang left the eating room.

Jeremy was nervous but he pushed that feeling aside to give his full attention to Aelita. The pink hair girl wasn't crying but he could see the tears building up in her eyes. He looked around the crowded eating room. This wasn't the best place to have a heart felt talk.

"Come on," he said gently tugging on her hand to get her to her feet. "Let's go somewhere else."

Aelita was slightly surprised but nodded her head, following him as he led her back upstairs.

Musa sighed as she watched her younger sister be led by the blonde whiz kid. She turned to Odd who was staring at the koi swimming around in the pound. She giggled as she saw the boy make faces fish faces at the fish.

"What are you laughing about?" the eccentric blonde asked a grin on his face as the wolf A.I. skipped over to him.

"You," she said tapping him on the nose with her finger.

"Really?" the boy asked grinning, raising a brow.

"So what am I now," he asked. "Am I a clown? Am I amusing? Do I make you laugh?"

"Of course," the girl laughed.

"I'm good with that then," Odd grinned embracing her.

"Egen, you make life interesting," Musa said contently.

"I know. If it weren't for me the world would be a dull, dull place," the boy said putting a hand to his forehead dramatically and looking away.

"Drama queen," Musa rolled her eyes.

"Well to hold that title first I would have to be a girl," Odd said counting off on his fingers. "And though I know I look fantastic whether I'm a girl or a boy I prefer being a boy. And two," he said holding up two fingers, "that title belongs to Sissi."

"Really?" Utada asked. "I always thought she held the title of Annoying Brat."

"Oh, she does," Odd said, "but you want to know something?"

"What?" the bi-color hair girl asked.

"You definitely win the title of the Most Fantastic Beautiful Girlfriend Around."

"Awwww," Musa coed. "You want more food but you ran out of money, don't you?"

"Oh my gosh! You're also psychic too! I hit the jack-pot!" Odd said in acting playfully surprise.

"Come on," Musa sighed, though still smiling as she led the boy back to the eating room. Suddenly, she stopped, gasping slightly as she swayed.

"Musa!" Odd said grabbing on to her.

_A large cabin surrounded by pine trees and snow. A hotel being built nearby... _

"Musa!" Odd said once again as the girl's eyes fluttered opened.

"I know where it is," she murmured before collapsing.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Yumi and Ulrich walked around the hotel aimlessly. They could have left and gone skiing with the others but they didn't want to be too far if the others did finally decide to go look for the supercomputer.

"So," Ulrich said shoving her hands in his pockets, "have you talked to your parents?"

The Japanese girl sighed as she led them over to a couch in the hotel's lobby, away from the crowd and somewhat secluded. "I've talked to my dad," she said, "but my mom…I've talked to her but it's been kind of tense lately. What the heck, it's been tense talking to both of them. Neither of them were willing to grow up and talk to the other about their problems in a civilized manner. It's sad," she said sounding frustrated. "I know that at this point their chance of actually getting back together is slim but…couldn't they at least try to come to some agreement, if not for them, at least for Hiroki and me."

"I'm sure they'll figure something out," Ulrich said comfortingly though he always felt weird talking about this type of stuff. Family stuff. He didn't feel like he had a right to tell someone else about their family when he himself was hardly getting along with his.

"Hopefully," she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder, causing a light blush to grace his features. "So…what about you?"

"What about me?" the brunette asked hoping he could easily change the subject.

"Ulrich," the Japanese girl said looking him in the eye. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

"I know," he smiled though it seemed somewhat sad, "but, there's some things that I just have to handle alone. I don't like to talk about it. Too depressing. Besides, I don't want to bore you with all my dad's lectures about being lazy and a slacker."

"You're definitely not a slacker," Yumi said smiling to herself as she remembered Ulrich shirtless. The lithe muscles that were on him definitely didn't come from being lazy.

"That really means a lot coming from you," he said softly as he wrapped an arm around her.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"So…."

"So…."

"What do you want to do?" Cascada asked. The shaggy hair teen before her merely shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" he asked repeating her question.

"If I knew I would have already told you," the strawberry blonde sighed. _"He's being indifferent again," _she thought sadly. "Will-" she began but was cut off when she felt something bump into her leg.

She looked down to see a small pair of dark eyes staring up at her. She took a step back to further evaluate what had run into her. It was a young child, around two or three, with a mop of dark hair. The child looked up at the blonde curiously, tilting his head to the side. Finally he let out a chorus of giggles, his small hands reaching out towards her.

For some reason, Cascada found herself kneeling in front of the child with a soft smile on her face. "Well aren't you cute?" she asked softly. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" a woman said rushing over to the child, picking him up in her arms causing the child to let out another squeal of pleasure.

"That's okay," Cascada said still smiling. "He's cute, anyway."

"Thank you," the mother smiled before walking away.

The plant A.I. watched as the small child wave to her before his mother turned the corner, making them disappear from sight.

She felt a pair of arms slip around her waist and she relaxed instantly knowing it was William. "I didn't know you were so good with kids."

"Me either," Cascada sighed turning her head up so she could look at him. Bags were beginning to form under his eyes and he looked slightly pale. "Are you okay?" she asked softly putting a hand on his cheek.

"I'm okay," he said smiling to try and put her at ease. "I just couldn't sleep without my rose," he said placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

Cascada rolled her eye. "Don't go all mushy on me, Dunbar," she growled before looking down sadly. "Besides, even when I'm with you, you still seem to be in so much pain."

"I'm fine, Cas," William said with a tone of finality in his voice. The plant A.I. frowned but didn't pursue the topic much longer. She wanted him to tell her his problems on his own.

"Fine," she sighed. "_I hope you're right," _she thought before she grimaced. Her head all of the sudden began to throb.

… _A fork in the road. Right. Secluded from the skiers. A beautiful view of the town below…_

"Cascada?" William asked concerned.

"I know where it is," the plant A.I. whispered before fainting.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"So…" Aelita began nervously as Jeremy led her to his room. The boys were lucky and didn't have someone outside of the group sharing the suite with them. "What did you want to show me?"

"Well," the blonde computer whiz said taking out his laptop. "I was going through some of the CDs Musa had copied, you know, the ones that I was able to access without the supercomputer and I think I found something promising."

"Really," the oink hair girl asked curious. She walked towards the bed where he was sitting and sat next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as she looked at the screen. The glow of the computer hid Jeremy's blush luckily. "What have you found?"

"Well, um, you know how with the replicas we were able to transform your Lyoko forms onto the location of the supercomputers on Earth?"

"Yeah," the pink hair girl nodded, urging him to go on.

"Well from what I gathered so far," Jeremy said bringing up a diagram of a satellite on his screen, "we might be able to do that same thing without having to be close to a supercomputer and without going to Lyoko."

"So you mean…" the pink hair girl said thoughtfully.

"I mean that with the right supplies and stuff, I might be able to create something that will allow you guys to be able to have all your Lyoko powers intact while you're on Earth without the need of using a scanner or going to Lyoko," the blonde said smiling proudly before frowning. "But, in order for me to even get half the work that's needed for this we need to access a supercomputer."

Aelita's once happy and hopeful face turned depressed. "I know. I-I just can't think of anything. Just fuzzy images," she sighed putting her head in her hands. "You would think that after all this time I would have gained back most of my memories," she murmured.

"You have!" Jeremy said putting his laptop aside. "You have made tremendous strides, Aelita. Don't beat yourself up because of this. We'll figure something out. We have the whole summer!" he said trying to sound optimistic for her sake.

"But how long do we have before the government comes? How long do we have before this new threat makes its first move? How long will it take for us to find my parents?" the pink hair girl cried.

"Oh Aelita," Jeremy sighed pulling her close to him in a loving embrace. He didn't blush. He knew this felt right. He knew he liked her, a lot. He would do anything for her. He just wanted to see his princess happy.

The pink hair girl sniffed as she held on tighter to the blonde, letting silent tears fall. Though they had made no real progress she felt as if a weight had been lifted. She smiled as she readjusted herself in his embrace.

"Like I said before," Jeremy whispered softly in her ear, causing shivers to go down her back, "you're not alone. Never." Aelita smiled before her head began to throb. She raised her hand to her head to massage the ache but it didn't seem to go away.

…_A large study room, filled with books. Occupied one moment, emptied the next…_

"-lita! Aelita!" Jeremy said worriedly as the girl became un-respondent. The girl suddenly moaned shaking her head as she tried to get her thought straight. "Thank goodness, Aelita. I was so worried!"

The pink hair girl didn't respond to the boy's worries. Instead she said, before becoming unconscious, "I know where it is. I know where the supercomputer is."

_**Somewhere else…**_

"Do you think that was wise helping them remember?" the female asked.

"If I did not interfere then they would have been at a standstill. The progress of this operation wouldn't be able to progress. Besides, the barriers that hide the truth must come down sometimes," the male next to her said. "In war sometimes you must first help your enemies in order to defeat them…"

"Your logic makes no sense," the female said.

"I wouldn't expect _you _of all people to understand," the male said cooly.

* * *

Okay, so here it is. The next chapter. Sorry if the part between Odd and Musa seemed kind of...weird. Once agian, that was my attempt at being funny. Anyway, I know it seems like nothing serious is happening yet, but it will soon and once it does there will be few funny momments. I think compared to _Code Moon _this story is going to be a little bit more serious so, you were warned.

The male and female at the end are the same ones from the end of _Code Moon. _They'll be rveiled later but not yet. Remeber, every character so far plays in this story plays an important part. It's weird, I was thinking about the final plot while in the grocery store with my mom. (Weird. I always get ideas when I am school or shopping). While I was thinking, I realized that the story could go two possible ways when it comes to a certain point. Thankfully, I'm not at that point yet so I still have time to think about it. One way, I think would probably help me as a writer but I don't want to drag this story on longer then need be. Anyway, no worries! I'll figure it out!

Um...I was going to say something else but...I forgot...lol! Um...though I know this isn't what I wanted to say, check out my videos on YouTube. I'm called EvanescentDream93 there. There's a link to it on my profile here. Really cool if you could check them out an leave a comment. I'm really thinking of working with film if the writing career idea doesn't work out. Writing, music, movies. That is my life. Sad but true.

For the people I still owe oneshots to, I'm still working on them. Please just be patient.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	9. Recollecting Memory Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Zoey, Cassie, and Brooke belong to HoboLover. I only own Musa, Cascada and anything else that wasn't in the show.**

**Recollecting Memory- Part 2**

She could feel a happy grin play across her lips as her friends walked through the busy streets with her. Mocha curls of hair bounced as Sitara nodded her head agreeing as the other three girls animatedly talked to her about this and that. The mute girl felt her shyness wash away with each wave of laughter her friends caused. Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey always knew how to make her feel better.

"Hey, can we rest?" Zoey whined stopping, "I'm getting tired."

"Didn't I tell you not to wear those heels?" Cassie asked.

"I don't remember," the rose hair girl said thoughtfully. Cassie sighed, shaking her head.

"There's a bench over there," Brooke pointed out. They all made their way towards the bench that was near the town's square.

Zoey took Sitara's hand dragging the girl the last few feet towards the bench and making her sit next to her. Cassie sat on the other side of Sitara while Brooke leaned against the back of the bench.

"It's been awhile since we were able to hang out like this, together I mean," Zoey said smiling.

"Yeah," Brooke agreed, looking at the clouds above.

"It's nice," Cassie commented. A calm quiet over came the four as they just relaxed before Zoey suddenly turned towards Sitara, a rare serious look on her face.

"Have you found him?" she asked. Cassie and Brooke looked at Sitara expectantly. The girl looked down at her hands sadly before shaking her head.

"Don't worry," Zoey said, her usual perkiness back, "You'll find him." The other two nodded their agreement. Unknowing to their mute friend as they walked her back to her room they somewhat felt…relieved knowing the person that Sitara had been looking for hadn't been found…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Tired onyx eyes stared at the resting figure before them. They took in all of the details of the unconscious person, from their disheveled hair to the way their lips were slightly parted. William made sure to commit these details and many more to memory. He felt like he needed to remember this day, this moment because it seemed like everything was about to change soon.

His hand slowly drifted to the strawberry blonde hair that was spilled across the pillows. He let the soft curls run through his fingers before gently letting them trace down to her cheek, her neck, and back to her lips where they lingered for a few moments.

The boy tried to stifle a yawn as his body once again told him that he was tired but he refused to listen. To go to sleep would mean that he would have to leave Cascada and he didn't want to do that, not until she was awake and deemed okay.

It had been a few hours since she had collapsed, the late morning slowly fading into the evening. None of the Lyoko gang had called the hotel's nurse, especially after they realized that Musa, Aelita, and Cascada fainting at the same time weren't coincidental. He wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay. Also, he didn't want to go to sleep for another reason.

He didn't want to dream…he didn't want to remember a life that wasn't his...

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**Dream…**_

She looked straight forward, perfectly still in the presence of the white coated men. She was young, but not stupid. She knew that what they were about to do to her would otherwise be against the law but in this place, the laws of the country didn't seem to apply. They were above the rules and they felt no pity for what they were doing.

The room slowly emptied till it was only filled with three other people besides her. Two of them were standard guards, both looking fairly new and inexperienced: one was older and larger then the other, seemingly in his early twenties with unruly brunette hair and a bandage on his cheek while the other seemed to be just getting out of his teens with low cut dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. The other man was well known to her; Mr. Schaeffer.

"How are you doing, my dear?" the glasses wearing man asked in his usual polite yet distant voice as he looked over her stats.

"I'm fine, sir," the girl replied though she wanted nothing more then to scream her outrage of being placed her.

"Have you been brushing your teeth and washing your face two times a day?" Schaeffer asked writing down notations on his clip board. To anyone else they would have actually thought he cared about the girl's well being.

"Yes, sir," she said in a tone that could easily imitate the man's tone.

"Good, good," the Schaeffer said nodding his head. "You can return to the room with the others."

She nodded as she stood up from her chair, smoothing her standard white dress out as she gracefully walked over to the entrance where the two guards were waiting. They led her out of the room and into the sterile white halls. She could hear the sound of other children but they weren't familiar to her. There was no way for her to tell whether or not they had recently come here or not since she was only allowed to see the other three children in her division.

She felt her emotionless façade slip as she wished she didn't feel so trapped in here. She was so deep in thought that she was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the larger of the men, eyebrow arched as he smiled down at her. She was wary of him since no one smiled at her or the other children unless they were going to tell them more lies.

To say the least, she was surprised when the man pulled out a several suckers from his pocket. The girl looked at the candy and then both men questioningly before hesitatingly taking the candy and slipping them into a pocket of her dress to give to the other chidren later.

"Thank you," she said showing a true smile to two strangers she had just met. They had showed her the most kindness any adult had ever shown her since she was here and for a moment as she stared up at the kind smiles of the guards, she forgot where she was; she forgot that she was a prisoner; she forgot that this was her hell…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jeremy typed furiously at his laptop, now and then looking above the screen to the pink hair girl sleeping before him before once again typing. He was worried and when he was worried he managed to submerge himself in his work. That was the thing about Jeremy Belpois. He was always able to get things done even in a moment of crisis. That could be a good thing and a bad.

Jeremy, for lack of better words, was a work-aholic and sometimes didn't know when enough was enough. He knew that was a habit he needed to break but he couldn't; he didn't want to break it. If he did, what would he be left with then? The others could fight, he couldn't. All of his talents needed the aid of a computer. He was horrible at anything physical, making him the poster child for computer geeks everywhere. He didn't want to be this. He didn't want to seem weak, but what else could he do?

He used to be the best at what he did, which was computer programming and hacking, both he used greatly with his work with Lyoko but with the arrival of Musa and Cascada he seemed to be pushed to the side and what human wouldn't? The two were computer programs who could always learn and improve. What came natural to them took weeks for Jeremy to figure out.

The blonde shook his head as he continued to work. This wasn't the first time her thought of this. He originally began pondering some of these questions when he thought that a disguised Xana was actually Hopper. At the time he had felt helpless. He hadn't been thinking about these things recently until the reality of actually reuniting Aelita with her parents actually seemed to hit home. With Hopper back that would mean that Jeremy would no longer be needed. Why have a novice when you could practically have a computer programming god? The others could always continue fighting on Lyoko or just return to their normal Earth activities but Jeremy…computers were his life!

The computer whiz just didn't want to feel useless. He had always felt like he could do more especially when his friends were practically sacrificing their life while he was sitting in his nice comfy chair in the factory, but what?

The blonde sighed putting away his laptop and just opting to stare at his pink hair princess. Could he ever be her knight instead of an onlooker?

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**Dream…**_

It was night and she should have been in bed but the haunting dreams of the men in black kept playing in her mind, making sleep hard to grasp. With Mr. Puck kept closely to her person she crept the silent halls of her new home, expertly dodging the still unpacked moving boxes expertly.

The glow of a computer's light which was leaking from the bottom of the closed door was the only sign that she could tell that her father was still awake. She pressed her ear against the door and tried to see if she could hear anything.

"How's the program's progressing?" she heard her father ask.

"It's going, as expected," another male voice said. She knew the owner of the voice but it had been a while since she was able to talk to him. "It shouldn't be too long till we're able to bypass the fire wall and the government's security code. Then we'll be able to destroy Project Carthage."

"Good," the young girl heard her father say. "Anything else?"

"Yes, according to a scan of the house, your daughter is standing right outside your room listening," the other male said sounding amused.

The girl let out a squeak of surprise as the door opened to reveal her very disheveled and slightly sleep deprived father. "Aelita, why aren't you in bed?" he asked in a chastising tone.

"I couldn't go to sleep," she said in a small voice. "I had a bad dream again."

Hopper sighed his expression softening before taking the girl's hand. "Come on. I'll make you some tea. That should help soothe your nerves and make it easier to sleep," he said turning to close the door before he led her to the kitchen but not before Aelita was able to see the computer screen. It showed Leon smiling at her but his smile unsettled her because his eyes had a weird eye like symbol…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Odd's fingers rapidly pressed the buttons on his hand held game device shooting down three attacking alien ships and gaining the high score. He sighed as he sat his game away, uninterested in it. His interest was on the sleeping bicolor hair girl next to him.

If William walked into the room he knew he was a dead man, but he didn't care as he turned on his side to get a better view of the other occupant of the bed. She seemed to be all right though now and then her expression would go into a frown or a grimace.

'_She must be having a nightmare," _he thought as he sat back up careful not to disturb Ichigo or Kiwi who were taking a nap cuddled together at the foot of the bed. Odd sighed silently again. He wasn't the type of person who could sit in one spot for too long but he didn't want to leave his girlfriend's side. Suddenly, he thought of something he could do. He grabbed a notebook that was near by and began writing in it, only looking up at Musa when he heard her whimper fearfully in her sleep.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**Dream…**_

Floating…

Surounded...

Trapped...

Hopper…looking away…

"Dad! Help me!" she tried to call out.

And then…crimsom red…

That's all she could see, red as she felt the rising panic consume her. She saw nothing but red but she heard faint sounds. Sounds like screams of mercy and death and then…they stopped.

She found herself huddle in a corner of a broom closet, her body feeling abnormal to herself and not even knowing how she had gotten here in the first place. She found that her nude body was caked in blood that was not hers and she was clutching something tightly to her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she heard the pounding of boot clad feet running down the halls, the alarm blaring. They were going to find her. They always did and that made her fear and hate them even more. She could never escape.

"Just leave me alone," she whispered to herself shutting her eyes closed as her grip on the item in her arms tightened.

The door opened causing her eyes to snap open. A growl escaped her lips as two figures stood before her. She recognized them as the guards that sometimes escorted her throughout the base. That didn't make her guard drop though. They worked with _**them **_and were equally guilty for any crime that was committed against her.

The older guard looked her straight in the eyes as he handed his gun to his comrade, never breaking gazes with her. He slowly raised his hands in the air to show that he was completely vulnerable if she were to attack.

"_Stupid humans," _a thought floated around in her head before her eyes widened. No! She couldn't think like that. She was human! She was human! She was human…

The guard was now only a few steps before her. He stopped before kneeling down to her level in front of her. He extended out a hand towards her, slowly so not to scare her. "I'm not going to hurt you, kid," he said softly before motioning towards his partner. "Neither of us will."

The girl looked skeptically at the two for a long time and the guards began to fear that they would both either be caught and held treason for doing what they were planning to do or, that the girl would kill them before they even knew what happened, but neither of them showed their anxiety on their faces.

A little shockingly, the girl hesitatively placed one of her hands in his before saying in a soft and childlike voice, "I…trust you…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

A pair of blue-green eyes opened to the now darkened room of what she assumed was her bed room. When her slightly more developed hearing picked up the sounds of various others individuals in the vicinity she was sure that her assumption was right.

Stiffly, she sat up right, pushing covers aside. She was surprised when she felt something brush against her leg. She looked next to her to see Odd fast asleep curled in a position that continually made her wonder whether her boyfriend had been a cat in a previous life.

She got up silently from bed and exited the room. She found Ulrich and Yumi asleep on the couch and with her hearing she could tell that Jeremy was with Aelita and William with Cascada.

She shook her head as she made her way towards the bathroom trying to shake away the ringing she was hearing in her ears. She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face to try to wake her up. She reached for a towel, patting her face dry before looking in the mirror. A scream was emitted from her mouth before she was able to stifle it.

She backed away from the mirror, furiously shaking her head before the bathroom door opened to reveal a tired by worried looking William.

"Musa? What's-?" the boy was cut off as the girl through her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. The boy was shocked by her actions but quickly comforted her. "It's okay, Musa," he said calmly patting her head.

The girl sniffled as she cried, an image of a blood soaked version of herself staring back at her from the mirror. It wasn't the blood that scared her; it was the cold, emotionless look that her eyes held, devoid of any human thought…

* * *

Yay! An update! And the plot thickens! Dun, dun, dun!

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	10. Deja Vu Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, Terran, Nyx, this story's plot and any other characters that were not in the show.**

**Déjà Vu, Anyone?- Part 1**

Jade green eyes fluttered opened, quickly falling on the snoozing blonde computer whiz sleeping in the chair next to her. A soft chorus of giggles escaped the pink hair girl's lips, her laughing awoke the blonde.

"Hm? What?" Jeremy said a little disheveled before he realized that the girl was awake. "Oh! Aelita! You're awake. Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, causing the girl to laugh at his cute over reacting.

"I'm fine, Jeremy," she said softly placing a hand on the boy's cheek, instantly stopping his ramblings as a red blush crept across his face. "What happened?" she asked confused, pulling her hand away knowing that was the only way the blonde was going to be able to speak.

"You fainted," Jeremy said, his face growing serious. "You, Musa, and Cascada, but you said something before you did. Do you remember it?"

Aelita bit her lip, staring down at her hands folded in her lap, deep in thought. She was having a hard time remembering the moment before she had fainted, her brain still trying to process the events of her dream. Slowly, but surely, the words she had spoken came to her. "I think I said-" she began before she was cut off by a scream. "What was that?" she asked startled.

"I don't know," Jeremy said getting up. "Stay here," he said before heading out the door.

_**Around that same time…**_

Forest green eyes stared up at the ceiling above before shifting to the empty seat next to her bed. A sigh escaped the strawberry blonde's lips before she forced her tired body to sit up. She yawned, running her fingers through her hair as flashes of her dream danced through her mind.

"Weird dream," she scoffed. "It must be contagious," she said swinging her slender legs off the side of the bed before standing up. "First William and now me, like I didn't already have problems going to sleep."

Her gaze returned back towards the empty chair. Her hand gently stroked the oak frame of the head rest of it. She had an idea of who had been keeping a vigilant over her but…"_Where is he?_" she wondered.

The plant A.I. was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a scream. She rushed out of her room at the same time Jeremy did.

"What was that?" Ulrich groaned as he and Yumi awoke from their nap. Both teens blushed when they realized that they had gotten into some compromising positions while they were asleep, the most embarrassing one being Ulrich's hand grazing over the developed girl's chest. Cascada rolled her eyes. They were together now weren't they? Shouldn't they be less shy arounf each other?

"What's going on?" Odd asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Did Sissi come out with that green gunk she calls facial mask on her face again?"

"Where's Musa?" Cascada asked.

"She's uh…." The cat boy began before her realized that Musa hadn't been in bed when he awakened.

"Well I think I know what the sound was then," Cascada said heading towards the bathroom where she could hear sniffles. She opened the door to reveal William embracing Musa while said girl cried like a fountain against his shoulder. "Eh, what's going on here?" Hikaru asked leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest.

"I think…she had a nightmare," William said unsurely as he stroked the wolf A.I.'s head comfortingly.

Cascada felt something awaken within her but she pushed it down expertly. Cascada Hikaru wasn't one for expressing her emotions openly, not even…jealousy. She walked over towards Musa and placed a hand on her head. "Stop crying," she ordered sharply.

"Hey! You can't just tell her that!" Odd cried coming into the bathroom.

"I think I can," Cascada replied indifferently. Odd was about to respond when Musa pushed away from William getting the others attention.

"She's right," the girl said wiping her tear stained face before giving them a smile. "Crying doesn't help."

"_Musa…" _Odd thought.

They all stepped out of the bathroom, deciding to leave the subject of Musa's scare for later,to find Jeremy, Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi on the couch waiting for them. "What time is it?" Cascada asked.

"Around late afternoon," Yumi informed. "You three slept most of the day away."

"Sorry," Musa bowed apologetically. "We didn't mean to make you waste your time. Though we're here for ulterior motives other than vacationing it doesn't mean that we can't have fun."

"It's okay," Jeremy said pushing his glasses back up his nose and opening his lap top, "but since we're on the subject, you three," he said looking at Aelita, Musa, and Cascada, "all fainted at the same time which we should all know isn't a coincidence. I hadn't talked to Odd or William but Aelita had said something before she fainted." he said.

"Cascada did," William nodded.

"Now that I think about it," Odd said thoughtfully, "Musa did too."

"Do you guys remember what you said?" Ulrich asked.

"I know where it is," all three girls said at the same time before looking at each other with disbelief.

"You don't think…" Aelita began before trailing off.

"I remember a large cabin surrounded by pine trees and snow. A hotel being built nearby…" Musa began.

"… A fork in the road. You go right. Secluded from a spot where skiers usually went. You could see a beautiful little town from the spot down below…" Cascada added.

"A study room…my father's…he had a lot of books. He would go in it for hours at a time," Aelita said deeply concentrating, "I remember I tried to surprise him once by sneaking into it silently after he went in there. But when I went in he wasn't there." She closed her eyes as flashes of her father popped up. "I thought that maybe he had left and went somewhere else but a few minutes after I left his study he walked out. It was empty one moment and occupied the other…" she said trailing off to look at her friends who were looking at her.

"What does this mean, Einstein?" Odd asked.

"It means," Jeremy said grinning as he typed on his laptop, pulling up a map of the mountain,"that we know where Aelita's old house is."

_**Somewhere else…**_

"And now…everything is set in motion," the male chuckled placing his folded hands under his chin as he leaned forward on his desk. "Send the letters out General."

"Yes sir," the female bowed.

"Oh? And general? There are a few annoying thorns to this plan. Make sure they are picked out but do it discreetly. We don't want to raise suspicion, at least not right now."

"Yes sir," the female nodded leaving the room as quickly as possible.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Nyx sat, one leg crossed over the other, staring bored at the elevator doors of the hotel while Terran leaned stoically against the wall,ignoringmany love struck gazes from a few school girls who were interested in the silent sunglass wearing boy. Nyx tapped her fingers against the wood of the chair she was sitting in.

The elevator 'dinged' as the doors opened revealing an animatedly talking Jeremy followed by the others. "I can't believe this!" he said excited. "Who knows what we may find once we get to the cabin! I can't wait!"

"He reminds me of how Odd gets when we go to the candy shop," Ulrich muttered.

"Hey, you all, brats, over here," Nyx called over towards them lazily waving them over.

"Who are you calling brats and why are you here?" Cascada questioned hands on her hips.

"Hon, you really need to get over yourself," Nyx said indifferently tucking a strand of her highlighted brunette hair behind her ear, "Anyway, we didn't come here to chit chat," she said ignoring the killing intent she was getting from Cascada. William noticed and but a hand on Cascada's shoulder calming her slightly.

"Why are you here then?" Odd asked frowning, more so at Terran than at Nyx.

"We are working together now," Nyx said, "and we decided that now would be an appropriate time for us to record."

"We're a little busy right now," Jeremy said, "How about-"

"Who are you again?" the brunette hair woman asked, giving him a look like she would give to some insignificant creature. "I don't remember a blonde glasses wearing boy being in the band. What instrument do you play?"

"His name is Jeremy!" Aelita said, angry that this woman had insulted her Jeremy. "And he doesn't play an instrument but that doesn't make him any less of an important member to our group."

"Sometimes you have to cut unnecessary pieces, _princess_," Revelin said using the pink hair girl's nickname in a mocking tone. It was clear that tension was rising and that it needed to be stopped soon.

"Nyx…abbastanza, enough," Terran said pushing himself off the wall and turning to Musa. "I'm sorry for my partner's foul mood. She has never learned her manners, apparently," Terran said in a soft voice that still seemed to hold much authority. Nyx looked away from the boy to hide her sour look and to hide her surprise at hearing him talk so much.

"It's okay, Terran-kun," Musa smiled, for some reason adding an informal honorific to his name even though she didn't know him well. Yumi noticed this and looked at Odd to see if he did. By the look he was giving Terran it seemed he had some idea of what -kun meant.

"Grazi," the boy nodded. "Now if it wouldn't be too much trouble we could record a couple of songs now and then you'll be able to go. It shouldn't take that long. Does that sound reasonable, Ms. Utada?"

"I don't think it would hurt," the wolf A.I. grinned.

"But Musa-" Jeremy was about to protest.

"Relax, Jeremy" Cascada whispered, "It shouldn't take that long. A couple of songs and that's it. Besides, it would be better to go under the cover of night. We'll be less likely to be seen and it will cause less suspicion then if we just decline this recording."

"Fine," the blonde murmured.

"So where are we recording?" Musa asked.

Nyx got up, brushing her self off, "There's an adequate room here at the hotel that we'll be able to play in. Follow me," she said walking off without even a glance back to see if they were following. Terran soon followed her with the Lyoko gang following from behind.

* * *

Short, I know but a new update should be up soon. I'm on spring break so hopefully you'll get an extra update. Still have alot of other stuff that I need to do like the two remaining one/multi shots, and updating my other stories, oh, and homework too...evil Bio and algebra teachers...

Oh, for those of you who don't know, _kun_ is an informalJapanesesuffix that is used for boys to express familiarity and endearment.I also used _chan _before in a previous chapterand it's the same thing as kun though it's mostly for girls though it can also be used for pets, little boys, and even lovers. Since we're on this topic, _-san_ is a formal honorific that is like Ms., Mrs., and Mr. Just thought I should tell you though I bet most of you already know this.

Um...nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	11. Deja Vu Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Linkin Park (though I wish I did). I do own Musa, Cascada, Terran, Nyx, and this story's plot.**

**Déja vu, Anyone? - Part 2**

_**Sometime in the Past…**_

The night was silent as a warm breeze blew across the city. The night was silent, but it was far from being peaceful. 

"Are you ready?" she asked the person next to her.

"Let's just get this over with," he said before jumping off the roof they were perched on and disappearing within the shadow below. She followed suit.

_In this farewell  
There's no blood  
There's no alibi  
'Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth  
Of a thousand lies_

_So let mercy come  
And wash away..._

"Secure all doors! Don't let anyone in!" the head of the security ordered his men. 

"Yes sir!" a group of black suited men all saluted before they moved to their designated spots.

The commander turned back to the man and woman with their two young children standing by him. "Don't worry, Professor Gershwin. We'll make sure that who ever killed Professor McArnald is put to justice," he said confidently.

"You obviously must be new to this position," Professor Gershwin said solemnly as he held his family closer to him as if his life depended on it. The end result of tonight meant that he didn't hold on to them tight enough. 

The light flickered off as the power to expensive manor was shut off.

"They're here." 

_What I've done  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done_

The security guards held on tight to their guns finger on the triggers, ready to fire. They all became slightly ill at ease when the main power went off, the auxiliary never starting. They were in total darkness, not even the heavens providing them light as the clouds seemed to cover the sparkling lights in the sky.

And then… music, followed by gun shots were heard followed by a short scream and then silence.

_Put to rest  
What you thought of me  
While I clean this slate  
With the hands  
Of uncertainty_

_So let mercy come  
And wash away..._

"Daddy! Make it stop!" the children cried as the sounds of shooting and death came closer to the room they were in.

Professor Gershwin looked down at his children then at his silently sobbing wife. There was no point in comforting them. This was it. This was his payment for what he had done.

_What I've done  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done_

The commander silently motioned to the three men he had with him in the room with the family to get ready. The men stood in front of the family aiming their guns at the door and…nothing.

"What's so interesting about a door?" a voice asked behind them. The commander gasped as he spun around to see a sight that would forever be burned into his mind. Professor Gershwin and his family were on the ground, dead, their eyes staring unseeingly at the door, their faces forever frozen in fear and anticipation.

Three thuds were heard and the commander turned to see his men also dead on the floor.

"Inferior humans," a voice scoffed in disdain.

_For what I've done_

_I'll start again__…_

The commander turned towards the window where two hooded figures stood, unable to be distinguished in the darkness. "Aren't you going to kill me too?" the man asked the two intruders.

"You didn't kill _her,_" one of the two said and with that the two were gone, leaving the commander in the blood tainted home.

_And whatever pain may come  
Today this ends__…_

"I'll meet you at the rendezvous point later," the male said without even waiting for an answer from his female associate. The female frowned but didn't protest as she continued on.

He landed silently on the window sill, sliding in easily through the already opened window. He heard a gasp of surprise. She was still awake. He made his way to her bed without even a word and laid down next to her, the bed's sheets separating them. Without hesitation, the girl snuggled next to him, quickly falling asleep. 

She was safe. To her, he was only her protector, the thoughts of him being a killer never entering her mind…

_**Present…**_

_I'm forgiving what I've done__…_

_I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done  
_

Ozzy looked deep in thought, his mind else where. Ken and Chris noticed. 

"Are you okay?" Ken asked concerned for his fellow co-worker.

_What I've done__…_

"Yeah," Ozzy said smiling somberly. "Just remembering…what I've done," he said looking at Terran Yuki and Evanescent Dream playing the last few lines of their song.

_Forgiving what I've done__…_

"That was great!" Musa clapped once the song was over. "You have an amazing voice, Terran-kun."

"Thank you," the boy said softly. Odd frowned. He didn't like Musa giving compliments to this guy. "You're guitar playing is also very desirable, Miss Utada."

Musa childishly stuck out her tongue. "Just call me Musa. We'll be working together so we should be comfortable with each other."

"_Not too comfortable," _Odd thought trying to keep his temper in check. He never really had a problem doing so before. It was just that he got a bad vibe from this guy and he didn't like him being near Musa. This is also commonly known as possessive boyfriend syndrome. 

"It was okay," Nyx sighed, "though the drumming and repetitive piano parts at the beginning were mediocre at best." Cascada held down a growl as she got up from the piano seat and William frowned. "Also, did we really need you three?" she asked pointing to Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita. "It made the sound seem overbearing and hastily thrown together."

"You're just upset that it wasn't your lyrics," Cascada coolly remarked.

"Of course I was," Nyx admitted, "I mean, my name is going to be on the album. I don't want to be associated with silly little angst written songs by bed wetters."

"Was there any part of the song that you didn't have a problem with?" Jeremy frowned trying to ignore her insult.

"The vocals were good even though the rest of the song did it no justice, including the guitars' part," the highlighted brunette hair woman said glancing at Odd and Musa but specifically Utada.

"Silenzio, Nyx!" Terran said barely raising his voice up but still managing to silence the woman. "The song was wonderful…Musa. You are a talented artist," he praised softly.

Odd frowned, taking a step towards the boy. He stared unblinkingly at the boy whose eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses. For some reason this reminded Musa of something similar to this that happened between her and Odd on Lyoko before he learned who she was. The rest of the Lyoko gang looked embarrassed at their friend's behavior.

Odd, who was staring so hard that his eyes began to water thought he saw the Terran blink from behind his dark tinted glasses. "Ha!" he said triumphantly, pointing at Terra, "I won!"

"Won what?" Terran asked indifferently.

"The staring contest," Odd said.

"In order to have a staring contest you have to stare and in order to stare you have to see," the icecap white hair boy said evenly, "I can't see."

"What are you talking about?" the purple loving boy frowned in confusion.

"I'm blind, lei idiota." Odd froze. That wasn't the response he was expecting. "I think that's enough recording for today," Terran said turning away from the silenced boy before leaving, Nyx following soon after.

"Smooth, Odd Ball," Yumi said sarcastically.

Odd was about to respond to defend himself when he noticed that Musa was heading towards the door that Terran and Nyx had just left. "Where are you going?" Aelita asked.

"Don't worry," Musa grinned, "I'll be back," she said before leaving.

It didn't take her long to find him in the lobby playing on the piano that she had been so drawn to before. She silently made her way towards him letting the melody of the music watch over her. It sounded familiar but distant. Finally, Terran ended the song, ignoring the applauding the hotel's guests gave him as he turned his head towards Musa.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Musa asked. He nodded, silently getting up. Like she had done with Sitara, Utada hooked her arm with his and led the way. She guided them towards the hotel's large outside porch that had chairs and tables for the guest to sit in and enjoy the fresh mountain air. "I'm sorry for Odd's behavior," the girl apologized.

"What is your relationship with him?" Terran asked suddenly.

"He's my boyfriend," Musa said simply.

"Boyfriend?" Yuki questioned.

"He's…very important to me…" Musa said smiling softly with a far off look in her eyes.

"I don't see, no pun intended, how that could be possible," the blind boy said staring in the general direction of her voice. If Musa didn't know he was blind she would have sworn she felt his intense gaze staring directly at her.

"Despite how he acted towards you, which was rude, he really is a sweet and funny guy," Musa said.

"And an idiot," Terran murmured. He was slightly surprised when he heard her laugh at this.

"He's not an idiot. Odd acts more on instincts, what he's feeling," Musa said softly before chuckling, "which is what usually gets him into trouble."

"I see," Terran said thoughtfully.

"Do you?" Musa asked, sounding distant before her eyes widened in shock. "Gomen! I didn't mean to I-"

"È tutto a posto. It's okay," Yuki shrugged, turning his head away from him.

"You speak Italian," the wolf A.I. finally noticed.

"Along with several others," Terran said. "Your…boyfriend also speaks Italian."

"How do you know?" Musa asked curiously.

"He has an accent, very faint and hardly noticeable unless you're paying close attention to it."

"He never told me…" murmured Musa to herself. The girl silently thought to herself. Why had she never asked Odd about his nationality before?

"I should be heading home," Terran said standing up. After a moment he turned to Musa. "You're not going to offer your help?" he asked.

"I think you're capable on your own," Musa grinned. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "you remind me of one of my friends," she said thinking of Sitara.

"I do?" the boy said sounding uninterested.

"Hai," Musa nodded. "Maybe I should introduce you two!"

"I'm not interested in girls," Terran said.

"Then we'll find you a guy and-"

"I'm not gay. I'm simply not interested in a relationship," Terran said stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What about me?" Musa asked.

"What about you? I thought you were already taken," Yuki said.

"I am," the girl giggled. "But I would still like to be your friend."

"Why? You don't even know me."

"I know, but for some reason I want to and isn't that the whole part of beings friends?" she asked.

"I wouldn't know," he shrugged.

"Well you're going to find out," Musa smirked. The boy sighed before heading towards the area where he knew the door back to the hotel was.

He stopped suddenly, hand on the door knob. "It's going to be cold tonight. Dress appropriately," and then he was gone, leaving Musa to think on his words…

* * *

Yay! An update! Anyway, I'm pleased with the beginning of this chapter. I originally wan't planning on starting it like this but oh well. Remeber that all the character play an important role in the story, except maybe Sissi though I'm planning to have her appear alot more then she did in _Code Moon._

Well, if you didn't know, the song was _What I've Done _by Linkin Park. Totally rockin' song that got me interested in the group. I wasn't orginally planning on using it in this chapter. I was planning to use it much later but then I found this another song that I could use for the part that I was originally planning on using this song for. Also, when Terran was playing on the piano, I imagined him playing _Kiss the Rain _by Yiruma. It's just piano but it's still amazing!

Also, I can't beleive I broke the 100 review mark! You guys rock! Major love!

Um...nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	12. Deja Vu Part 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, the plot and anyone else who isn't in the show except for HoboLover's characters. I do own the plot so no steal!**

**Déjà vu- Part 3**

The sounds of the woods always seemed to amplify at night. Shadows were everywhere, casted by the willowy figures of trees. Aelita shivered slightly as she pulled her jacket closer to her before clinging on to Jeremy, not that the blonde really minded.

The Lyoko gang had been walking for about half an hour following Jeremy's direction. They had sneaked out of the hotel as soon as they were sure that Sitara and Sissi were asleep and after Jim had made his finally rounds. It was fairly easy to slip out of the hotel without any of the staff noticing though they had almost ran into Ms. Emeraldson, who was at the front desk.

"How much further do we have to go, Jeremy?" William asked.

"Getting scared?" Ulrich chuckled.

"Yeah, watch out for the giant spiders!" Odd laughed before he was hit on the head by Musa, Cascada, and William. "Ow!"

"Onii-san isn't afraid of anything," Musa said childishly crossing her arms.

"Okay, okay!" Odd said raising his hand up defensively.

Musa grinned, turning towards William who grinned back, Cascada watching the exchange.

"So how further do we have to go?" Yumi asked.

Jeremy looked down at the small hand held navigator he held in his hand. "According to this," he said, "we should be at the fork in the road right about…now!"

They came out of the woods to find themselves on a beaten trail that looked like it hadn't been used for years that split into two; one path going to the left that seemed to lead down to the village and the right seemed to go through a thicker part of woods.

"It's a good thing that it hasn't snowed too much," Cascada murmured looking at the earthen paths, "or else we wouldn't have been able to have found this so easily."

"It snows a lot here," Aelita said, sounding distant, "I think that why daddy picked this place to live."

"Hard to find and away from anyone who might question his work," Jeremy said.

"Shall we?" Musa asked holding her hand out to Aelita who nodded and took it. Musa turned to Cascada extending out her other hand but the plant A.I. disregarded it, walking ahead of the group. Musa looked downtrodden before Odd slipped his hand in hers. She grinned at the boy before they continued on their path.

They continued for about fifteen minuetes before Cascada, who was leading suddenly stopped. "Oh no," escaped her lips.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jim was lounging around in only his boxers and a t-shirt with a bag of munchies and a pack of beer, flipping through the T.V. when he heard a knock on his door. He grunted as he got up from his bed rubbing his back. "I hear ya, I hear ya," he grumbled as he made his way to the door. He opened it to see none other than Ken, Chris, and a wheat hair man about his nephews age with glasses. For some reason the man reminded Jim of Belpois.

"Hey Uncle Jim!" Chris waved before stepping in with the others without being invited. "Heard you were here so we decided to stop by," he said plopping down on the previously occupied bed.

"Good to see you again, Jimbo!" Ken chuckled shaking the P.E. teacher's hand. "Oh, this is our friend, Ozzy, " he said nodding over to the other man.

"Just because that girl, Utada,decided to call me that name everyone assumes that that is the name that I wanted to be introduced as," Ozzy sighed. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"Because if we hadn't dragged you out of your room you would have been doingwho knows what," Chris chuckled getting a little too comfy on the bed to Jim's disappointment.

"So you all are all staying at the hotel? Have you met with Utada and the others?" Jim asked snatching his beer away from Chris who didn't do well with alcohol.

"Yeah. We just had a rehersal with them," Ken sighed contently as he took his shoes off.

"_Great. Now they're never going to leave," _Jim thought to himself, sighing.

He looked towards Ozzy who was still standing by the door, unsure. "You just going to stand there?" he asked tossing the younger man a beer. Ozzy fumbled with the can before he safely caught it.

"Hey, Uncle Jim. You got any cards?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Jim said rummaging through a bag and tossing his nephew a deck of cards. Ken took a table in the room and set it so it could seat four people.

"I hope you know poker fellas," Ken grinned, "because I don't go easy on anyone."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Chris waved him off before turning to Ozzy. "You in?"

"I haven't played before," the man admitted.

"_Easy pickings,"_ the other three men thought smirking.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Part of the roof had fallen, creating an unwanted sun roof. Graffiti was sprayed along the inside and outside walls of the house. Trash was littered across the floor and nothing seemed recognizable.

Aelita carefully made her way through the piles of rubble. It pained her to see her former home looking like this. "The agents from Project Carthage must have done this," Cascada surmised.

"It seems unusual for them though," Musa said aloud as she picked up an old dusted book that was on the floor. "The agents were known for their throughness and ability to seem like they were never there."

"So you mean that whatever was here is gone now?" Jeremy sighed disheartedly.

"We won't know until we find out," Ulrich said.

"Where was your father's study, Aelita?" Yumi asked.

The pink hair girl looked around the room that she vaguely remembered to be the living room though it was hard to tell in its current state. She walked through the rubble stopping at a stairs. "It's up there…I think," she said.

"I'll go first," Musa said slowly making her way up the stairs. They squeaked with every stepped she took but they held strong. The others followed her and instead of Aelita leading the way, she did as if she already knew.

_Hopper ran up the stairs with an unconscious figure in his arms. "Elena! Quick! Open the door to my study!" he shouted._

Musa shook her head. "_What was that about?" _she wondered to herself as they stopped in front of a door at the farthest end of the hall. She looked at the others who were nodding for her to open the door. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

It was really no surprise that the room was in the same disarray as the rest of the house. They stepped into the room, the same room that Hopper had spent hours in. Books were missing from the shelves and the ones that were left scattered along the floor along with dust, and rubble from the roof.

"Let's have a look around," Cascada said. The others agreed and they each went to separate parts of the room to see if they could find anything.

"What are we looking for?" Odd asked searching the book case.

"I don't know," Musa replied before something caught her eye.

It was a small wooden box with intricate designs decorating the top. The wolf A.I. guessed it was an original of Norse design. She couldn't help but to touch it, hand rubbing away the dust.

_Hopper stood with the unconscious figure still in his arms in front of the bookcase. He opened the little box and-_

"Musa? You okay?" Odd asked. "It looked like you were in a daze."

The wolf A.I. didn't answer. Instead, she opened the box but was disappointed to find nothing. She placed her hand inside the box in hopes to find something hidden along the bottom of it but found nothing.

"What's that?" Aelita asked coming up to her.

"A keepsake," she said handing the box to the pink hair girl. The second when they were exchanging the box, when both hands were both touching it, a spark seemed to come from the box and a low rumbling sound was heard.

"Where's that sound coming from?" Jeremy asked surprised. The room seemed to shake, dust falling from the ceiling.

"Odd!" Musa yelled pulling the boy away from the bookcase as the floor where he had stood dropped, and then…silence.

The gang all cautiously made their way to the bookshelf, peering down the whole that had appeared in the floor that was the beginning of a flight of stairs going down.

"So," Odd said breaking the silence. "We found a dark, old secret staircase. Who wants to go down first to check for bloodsucking aliens?" The looks he received meant that either he shut up or he would be the one going down to check.

"Who has the flashlight?" Cascada asked. William did, taking the device out of his coat pocket and shining it down the dark stairs. The stairs seemed to go down past the first level before it reached a platform where another set of stairs wound down.

"Everyone, stick together and don't touch anything," William instructed, saying the last part to Musa and Odd. William went down the stairs first followed by Cascada, Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremy, Musa, and then Odd.

As soon as they had all stepped into the opening in the floor, it shut with a final clang. No turning back. A few lights flickered on above them but they provided very little light prompting William to keep the flashlight on.

"How long do you think these stairs go on for?" Ulrich asked.

"Hopper was a man known for his privacy," Cascada said. "Though he would have made something to make sure Aelita and mother were safe at all times he would have also made his lab so no unwanted sound came in or out."

"So in other words," Odd said, "these stairs go on and on."

"With every beginning there comes an end," Musa said. "That's what Hopper told me once."

"You know, I've been thinking," Aelita said. "I don't- I don't think-"

"You don't think that you were called Aelita Hopper?" Cascada said cutting in. Aelita nodded. "You're right. Hopper was mother's maiden name."

"The old man's real name was Waldo Franz Schaeffer," Musa said, "but when he took you away from here he changed his name to mother's maiden name.; for protection."

William snorted. "Like that did you any good."

Cascada frowned at the boy but continued, "Anyway, I guess after awhile it just stuck."

"Aelita Schaeffer," the pink hair girl said trying out the name.

"For some reason it doesn't have as much pizzazz as Aelita Hopper," Odd said.

"Either way, you'll probably still have to go as Aelita Stones for now, Odd's cousin and now Musa and Cascada's sister until we find your parents," Jeremy said.

"Hey, the steps are ending," William noted as they all finally got off the steps. It was then that flashlight decided to die out.

"I knew buying this from Hiroki would be a scam," Yumi murmured angrily.

"Where's the light switch?" Odd asked sounding a little nervous.

"Is the little kitty afraid of the dark," Ulrich teased.

"No!" the purple boy defended.

Musa shook her head. Honestly, she didn't understand what the others were fussing over. It wasn't that dark but then again her senses were more acute then theirs. "Jeremy," she said, "the light switch is to your left." The boy made a confused sound before the sound of his fumbling hand could be heard.

After a few minutes lights flooded the room slightly blinding them all for a few seconds before their eyes adjusted. They were all thinking the same thing but Odd was the only one who voiced it. "Man! This place makes the factory look like crap!"

"ODD!"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"I can't belive this."

"He looked like such an easy target."

"And he wiped us clean. He tricked us"

"I'm sorry gentlemen," Ozzy said calmly gathering the cash he had earn from the poker game. "This really was my first time playing pocker, but watching you three play made it easy for me to pick up the rules."

"Man, it hasn't even been the first week of this trip and I already only have half of what I had," Jim said looking at his wallet.

"Maybe we should just call it a night," Chris suggested. "Besides, Della Robbia is already past out," he said nodding over to Ken who had been past out for the last thirty minutes.

"Damn," Jim sighed running a hand through his hair, "I thought he could hold his liquer."

"Um, Jim?" Ozzy said. "He didn't have any beer."

Morales sighed shaking his head. "What kind of army man is he? It's not even past midnight."

"Well I guess we should be going," Chris said getting up with Ozzy. Both men walked to the door, saying their goodbyes before they left.

Jim sighed turning to Ken. "You can wake up now." Ken opened an eye to make sure that the others had gone before sitting up.

"Ozzy is good," he said.

"Is that why you faked being knocked out?" Jim chuckled handing Ken a beer.

"Hey, I know when my battles are lost. I just make sure I get out of them with little to no casualties," Ken said taking a sip.

"Hm," Jim said, "I'm more of a go down with the ship type of guy."

"Is that why you almost got swept clean by a kid?" Ken laughed. Jim didn't respond. Instead he stared ahead of him, thinking. Ken sobered up when he saw the look on the other man's face. "Maybe we should ask him," Ken said, a serious look on his usually cheerful face.

Jim took a long sip of his beer before crushing the can in his hand. "I doubt he would accept."

Ken sighed, putting his arms behind his head before leaning back on the bed. "I guess you're right," he said closing his eyes, "I mean, I wouldn't either."

"You say that and yet, here we are," Jim sighed before turning to the other man. "Hey! Are you going to get off of my bed anytime soon?"

He was answered with snores.

* * *

Another update! I really don't like this chapter too much though. It's more of a filler if anything. I rewrote this so many times and yet I'm still not sastisfied. Whatever, next chapter should be better. Also, I don't support beer or anything I just thought that I could see Jim drinking beer rather than a juice box. So yeah, I'm against alchol but I want to make this story seem believable despite its certain aspects which make it unrealistic.

Anyway, I want to thank all of my reviewers. Because of you guys this is my second most reviewed story. My first is of course _Code Moon._

**_Anyway, thanks to (in no particular order):_**

**_HoboLover_**

**_alteris_**

**_chao m_**

**_fightingpacifist_**

**_Miss Dark Shiva_**

**_cheerfulpessimist-and-darkrose_**

**_Lyokoluva_**

**_NiGHTChild68_**

**_WilliamTA_**

**_Lonelydreamer27_**

**_Mata-Nui3000_**

**_emerald lady_**

**_Synneofthesun_**

**_Gregoryhell_**

**_Maya4eva14 _**

**_Edward Cullen's Girl_**

**_linkmasta_**

**_anurell_**

**_xanadead_**

**_trixter 93_**

**_Thanks you guys! As always you guys rock my sox! _**

Um...oh! I'm thinking about changing my FanFic name I want to know my readers opinoin so I made a poll with all the possible names I could think of on my profile, so please vote!

Ummm...anything else? Anything else? Oh! My B-Day is in a week and four days! March 31st people! Yeah!

Okay, I really think that's it so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	13. Finders Keepers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Cascada, Musa, this story's plot, and any other character that isn't in the show.**

**Finders Keepers**

"Night," Musa yawned as she and the other Lyoko girls waved good night to the guys who headed to their room. After the guys were out of sight, they all snuck back into their suite. Aelita, Yumi, and Cascada immediately headed to bed but Musa went to get some tea in hopes to put her busy mind to rest.

_**Flashback**_

"This is unbelievable," Jeremy gasped as he and the others gazed upon the lab. It literally made the one in the lab look like amateur work compared to this. The room was large, far larger than expected. Unlike in the factory, wires were not exposed and the computer itself looked way before its time. Four white and blue cylinders, of what could only scanners, were placed against a wall, gleaming in all their high-tech glory. A separate work area that held maps, blue prints and several other various books were off to the side. The group was slightly over powered by all of the white brightness.

"Why is it so…white?" Ulrich asked.

"The old man was paranoid, I'm sorry to say. I guess it helped to see if anyone who wasn't supposed to be here was…you know, here," Musa explained shrugging.

"Well someone definitely hasn't been here in a while," William said. "The whole place is covered in dust."

Cascada walked over to the supercomputer, sitting down in the seat that she expected to be dusty with time but surprisingly it wasn't which immediately caught her attention. She turned the computer on and instantly a 3-D screen appeared before them with the basic four Lyoko sectors.

"Everything seems to be running smoothly," the plant A.I. said. "Do you have the disks?"

Jeremy stepped forward with the bag filled with memory disk. "I can do it," he said.

"It'll take to long if you do it," Cascada said not even looking at him while she began the basic processing set-up. "If I do it, we'll be online in no time." The blonde computer whiz frowned before grudgingly handing over the bag. "Make yourselves comfortable guys, while mama works her magic," the strawberry blonde said with an eager grin.

_**End Flashback**_

Musa sighed. She remembered the look Jeremy wore on his face for the rest of the night. She knew the boy didn't like feeling useless. Cascada could have at least let him work on some of the files.

She raised the cup of tea she had just made to her lips, taking a sip before instantly spitting it out. For one, it was too hot, almost scolding her tongue, and second, it tasted terrible. She wiped her mouth, pouring the disgusting liquid down the sink, regretting that it was such a waste.

Once she cleaned up her mess she headed to her room. Hoping that she wouldn't wake Sitara up.

When she slipped quietly inside the dark room she saw Ichigo asleep, curled up on her pillow, Sitara fast asleep in her own bed, and a shadowy figure standing above said girl's bed.

The figure whipped their head to face Musa. They only looked at each other for a second but it felt longer. Suddenly, the figure turned around towards the opened window and jumped out. Musa quickly turned to Sitara. She seemed okay, so without hesitation she jumped out the window, despite being on the fourth floor, following the hooded figure within the woods.

* * *

Could his body be any more tired? He wondered. He tried to move his arms before grunting. That was a yes.  
William sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed. His body was screaming for sleep but his mind was rushing with thoughts, not enabling him to drift off to a peaceful slumber. His head was also pounding beyond belief as if to explode. He rubbed his temple hoping to easy away the pain but nothing seemed to help. The room began to feel hot so he opened the window.

As he leaned forward, breathing in the refreshing mountain air, something falling down from the floor above him caught his eye. He watched, surprised as he saw a figure jump down and land seemingly unharmed on the snow covered ground before running at an unbelievable speed.

The shaggy hair teen was about to put what he saw as a trick of his mind due to his headache but he had a feeling it wasn't when he saw Musa jump down, just like the figure before her and take off after.

"_What the HELL is she thinking?" _William thought and without even realizing it he jumped out from his window, ignoring the fact that he should be seriously hurt after such a jump and followed after the wolf A.I.

* * *

Musa ran at super speed through the dark woods, dodging trees and keeping her eyes trained on the figure in front of her. He was eight yards away and he was weaving in and out of the greenery trying to shake her off.

Suddenly, the mysterious person broke through the woods and into a clearing. "_I can catch up with him faster there," _Utada thought putting an extra boost into her running.

When she came into the clearing she was surprised to see it was empty. She looked down at the snow covered ground and saw that the person's footsteps had just stopped in the middle before disappearing.

"_Where…?" _she thought before she heard the faintest of sounds of rustling branches coming from above. She looked above her to see the unknown person looking down at her from a tree branch.

He was young, though it was hard to tell exactly how old due to the lack of light. He wore black pants and a black, sleeveless, high collar jacket that's zipper opened up at the bottom and at the top. He was thin but not scrawny (what Odd would call svelte) and he had dark ebony hair with a streak of flaming red running through it. His eyes were hidden behind a dark red visor that was attached to a headphone like device on his ears. But what Musa found the most interesting about the boy was the upside down tattoo of Xana's symbol on his righ shoulder and the cyber hi-tech oriented flute he held to his lips.

"_Kuso!" _the wolf A.I. thought as she realized what the instrument was, "_His weapon!" _but it was too late as he blew a scale of notes into the slender instrument causing the wind to pick up around her and causing a tornado of snow to circle around her.

She raised her arms up to shield her face and spread her feet wide to keep her balance but she could feel the force of the attack pushing her back. That was until she felt something grab onto her arm. She looked next to her to see William holding her down from being blown away as he held onto a tree trunk with his other hand.

Red sparks danced from his finger tips and she could slowly feel her energy being sucked away but this gave her an idea. "William!" She said over the roar of the wind and the flute, "On my go!" she said, the boy nodding understanding what she meant as blue sparks of her own began to appear around her hand. "Now!"

They both broke through the whirl wind surprising the mysterious boy who was cut off from his playing. Musa and William jumped up sending sparks of red and blue electricity towards the boy.

He jumped back to another tree branch, easily avoiding their attack but he was cut off guard when Musa appeared suddenly behind him and sent a power punch towards him. He ducked, but the wolf A.I. grabbed his wrist. "Who are you?" she asked. Instead of answering, the ebony hair boy twisted his arm in her grip, managing to slip away.

The bi-color hair girl could have sworn she saw a slight flicker in his image but he put the flute against his lips once again, fingers flourishing with each note he played as another whirl wind appeared around him and then…he was gone.

"Musa! Are you okay?" William asked as the girl landed back on the ground.

"Yeah," the wolf A.I. nodded, looking at the spot where the boy had disappeared before looking down at her hand which held a silver circlet.

* * *

Cascada was awoken from her much needed sleep when her cell phone went off. "What?" she growled into the phone, obviously not a morning person.

"Cas, it's Yumi. Come to the cabin," the Japanese girl said over the phone, "William and Musa think they found something. Everyone else is here."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up before you guys left?" Cascada asked getting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"You know you're not the best person to wake up," Yumi laughed. "We thought it was safe to wake you up from a distance."

"Right," the plant A.I. scoffed. "I'm on my way," she said before hanging up. She looked at her clock. It was only noon.

She stretched out deciding to take a shower. As she made her way to the bathroom she thought of what Yumi had said. "_William and Musa…William and Musa… what were those two doing last night together?" _she thought turning the shower water on with a frown.

She trusted her sister and boyfriend and knew for a fact and with a doubt that nothing between them was beyond sibling feelings, but… She couldn't help the slight twinge of envy she felt when William seemed to worry more about Musa than her, his own girlfriend. The green eye girl knew that seemed selfish but she felt that she had given up on a lot of what she wanted for the better interest of Musa and Aelita. Couldn't just once she have something that was only for her?

She sighed as she let the slightly scalding water run over her skin reddening her back before she turned the water off and wrapped herself in a towel. As she made her way back to her room she past by Sitara who was heading out.

"Going to meet up with those friends of yours?" Cascada asked. The mute nodded, smiling. "Alright," the plant A.I. nodded. "If you need anything you can text either me or Musa, but we'll otherwise be out for awhile." Sitara nodded again before exiting, leaving Cascada alone in the suite, Sissi having left earlier too.

Not really feeling in a rush, she put on a green sweater with jeans and boots before putting her hair in the usual ponytail. She was just about to leave her room when she stopped and grabbed her sketch pad. Who knows? She might get inspired.

The plant A.I. left the suite and headed towards the elevator. When she was inside, she leaned against the wall, opening up her pad, she flicked through the pages, passing by drawings of people and turning to those of faceless women and men wearing beautiful designs of clothing.

When the strawberry blonde first arrived at Kadic she found herself attracted to fashion but none of her designs ever made it past the sketching stages. Making an outfit took a lot of time, time which she had used trying to get rid of Xana and was now using to find Mother and Hopper.

"Those are very stunning," a voice surprised her and she automatically closed her sketch pad and looked up to see a woman smiling down at her. The plant A.I. hadn't noticed that the elevator had stopped to pick up another rider.

The woman looked familiar though the girl couldn't pin point why. She was wearing a pink scarf tied around her head only allowing a few pieces to frame her face. She wore a pink shirt underneath a red knee length jacket with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows and flowing green pants. Golden bangles ran up her arms sparkling lightly in the elevator's dim light. The plant A.I. liked the woman's outfit to say the least. It was fashionable to her though a different fashionable than Mrs. Dunbar; another woman she thought had taste when it came to clothes. The plant A.I. wondered if she could somehow combine the two styles…

"Thank you," Cascada replied politely.

"No problem," the woman said with a bit of an accent though Cascada wasn't exactly sure. Musa would have known though. "Are you going to be entering the fashion contest?"

"I don't know," the blonde said unsure, "I really don't know that much about it and I might be too busy with other obligations to actually put my designs on a model."

"So busy for such a young girl," the woman sighed sounding disappointed before smiling once again. "Well, I hope you'll change your mind. I would love to see more of your work. You're very talented."

"Thank you," Cascada smiled before the elevator 'dinged' as it reached the lobby ground. "It was nice talking to you," she said.

"I always enjoy talking to fresh inspirational designers such as yourself," the woman grinned before looking at her watch and gasping. "Oh I must go! Good bye!" she said kissing the startled plant A.I. on both cheeks before running off, disappearing in the lobby's crowd. "Ciao!"

Cascada brought her hand up to her cheek where the woman had kissed her, "That was definitely…odd," she said before remembering that she had to meet the others and leaving the hotel.

Unbeknownst to the plant A.I., someone had watched her encounter. "This is interesting."

"What is Sissi?" Nicolas and Herve asked trying to look at the picture on the girl's digital camera.

"Nothing for you idiots to be worried about," Sissi said flipping her hair over her shoulder before walking away. Both boy's looked at each other with confused looks before shrugging and following their superior-er, friend.

* * *

"You're late," Jeremy said as Cascada entered the hidden lab, the others already there. He was still bitter about yesterday.

"Give me a break, four eyes. It's not like anyone waited for me at the hotel," the girl scoffed. "Now what is it that is so important that I had to be awakened?"

"This," Musa said stepping forward to reveal a silver band in her hand. Cascada picked it up examining it.

"And where did you find this?" she asked raising a questioning brow.

"That's not important," Musa said grinning. "Sis! Do you realize what this is?"

"I have an idea but it's very unsettling since you have yet to tell me where you got it from," Cascada said handing it back to the wolf A.I.

"Mind filling us in?" Odd asked as he, Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi looked confused.

"Ever since we found out we can project your Lyoko forms onto Earth by being close to another supercomputer," Jeremy said, "I've been trying to figure out a way to do that same thing without being in the vicinity of one."

"And with this," Musa grinned holding up the silver circlet, "we can do just that!"

"You mean…" Aelita eyes widened as realization dawned on her.

"You're looking at a portable scanner," William said.

"Fantastic!" Odd grinned.

"It is," Cascada nodded, "but once again, dear sister, where did you find this?"

The wolf A.I. looked over at the shaggy hair boy nervously before turning back to the other A.I. "There was some guy in my room with Sitara. She was asleep and I checked her out and she's fine but when he saw me he tried to make a run for it. William showed up and we tried to catch him but he got away."

"You let a petty burglar get into your room?" Cascada asked.

"He wasn't just any burglar," William said. "He had powers…Lyoko powers…"

Silence filled the room save for the soft beeping of the room's machines.

"And so," Cascada said breaking the silence, "Lyoko seems much more vast then even we could imagine," she sighed running her hand through her hair. "It's unsettling knowing that there is someone out there with enough technology and brains to make something of this caliber."

"Then we need to make sure we're prepared," Ulrich said. "Do you think you could reproduce something like this, Einstein?"

"I'm already working on it," the blonde computer whiz said typing on the computer whiz. "I got the basic schematics set up but we're missing some key components and I'm not sure where to even look for them."

"Like what?" Cascada and Musa asked simultaneously, looking over the boy's shoulder.

"Um…basically, the newest high processing computer chip and a battery that would put the Energizer Bunny to shame. I just need one of each though. I can use the scanner to make copies of them," Jeremy said.

"Why can't you use the scanners to make copies of this," Aelita asked pointing towards the bracelet.

"The bracelet is complex. It would take too much energy and time to recreate it," Cascada said. "It'll be easier if we just redo it ourselves. Also, there could be some unwanted effects that it may have and we wouldn't know about it until it happened because we were unable to see how it was built for ourselves."

"She's right," Jeremy said. "But that still doesn't tell us how we're going to get the stuff we need."

"Jeremy," Cascada smiled mischievously as she put an arm around the computer whiz's shoulder and leaning her head next to his as Musa did the same on the other side, making the blonde blush nervously. "You trust us don't you?"

"Uh, uh, uh," the boy stuttered nervously looking for some help from the other members of the gang but none of them provided any, not even Aelita, his only hope. "_I'm going to regret this, I just know it," _he thought. "Yes," he muttered.

"Good!" Musa said pulling away to clap her hands.

"So," Cascada grinned stepping away from him, "You'd understand when I say everyone is banned from this room with the exception of Musa and I for today."

Jeremy only had one thing to say about that. "**WHAT!"**

* * *

Pain coursed through him but he wasn't going to degrade himself by falling to his knees. "I hope you know that that item you lost wasn't cheap," a bored male voice said before him. He didn't reply. The pain made it difficult for him to hold himself up and speak. "I really don't understand why you were even there without my commands. Care to shed some light on this?" No reply. "Fine. Then suffer for your disobedience."

Pale blue eyes watched the exchange from a distance, too afraid to step in or draw any attention to herself. Her lips were pressed firmly in a thin line, keeping her mouth shut. She was surprised when she found herself collapsed on the ground trying to regain air.

"And why were you not there to support him?" the commanding male asked.

"P-please!" she gasped clawing at her throat for air. As soon as it had happened, it was gone.

"Get up," she was ordered. She did so, not daring to glance over at her partner. She knew that he was already unconscious by now. "Prepare for your next assignment. You'll have the assistance of the _others._"

"Yes sir," she bowed before leaving the room, not daring to take a close up glimpse of her partner. It was everyone for them self here. The term "partner" here basically had no meaning at all.

* * *

Okay, so here is the next update. It's okay, I guess but I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. That'll be fun to write... Anywho, one of the un-named characters here you have seen before but I'm not going to say who or from where. Wonder why that guy was in Musa and Sitara's room. Maybe he's a perv! LOL! He's not.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	14. How Do You See Yourself in 7 Years Part1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. But if you do own it, it would be an awesome birthday gift for me! I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and anyone else who wasn't in the show.**

**Note: Last chapter I said there were three scanners. I changed that to four.**

**How Do You See Yourself in 7 Years? - Part 1**

No one understood their reasoning. How could anyone? Even during the sanest of moments they were anything but sane. To the Lyoko gang right now, minus the two female artificial intelligences, they had just reached a whole new level of insanity. Let the good times roll!

Cascada and Musa spent a great part of the day locked up in the underground lab. The gang waited around in the broken down cabin for a while, hoping that the girls would come out and explain what they were doing. It was only when the sky changed from sky blue to a dark midnight blue and the freezing dropping temperatures did they leave. The wolf and plant A.I. had still yet to come out.

"I really don't want to leave them there," Aelita said looking back at the now shrinking cabin as they made their way from the cabin and to the hotel.

"Neither do I," sighed Jeremy.

"You just don't want them messing with your new toy," Odd teased.

"And you just want to suck face with Musa," Jeremy replied coolly causing the other blonde to blush though he didn't deny it…

"What do you think they have in mind?" Yumi asked.

"Who knows," William shrugged. "For all we know they could be planning for world domination."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Ulrich chuckled stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The group of teens finally returned to the hotel with a few hours to spare before they had to return to their rooms. They decided to split up and do what ever they pleased with this rare relaxing time.

Odd decided to go outside and walk around. He wasn't one to just stand in one place for too long. He walked around the outside of hotel, passing by some of his fellow classmates and other hotel guests. The blonde wasn't really paying attention to anything in particular; he was just trying to waste time till Musa came back. He was so whipped.

The cat warrior was just about to go back inside when he heard an all too familiar, annoying voice. "_Sissi," _he thought about to turn around and go the other way to avoid a confrontation with the girl until he over heard something.

"What? You think just because you can't talk people should pay more attention to you?" he heard the snide comment from the principal's daughter.

"_Sitara," _he thought with a frown as he headed over towards the voices. He wasn't too surprised when he saw Sissi, Herve, and Nicolas practically cornering the girl, providing no escape.

"Why do you either bother waiting?" Sissi asked, hands on her hips. "No one is going to come for a little wall flower like you. You're easily forgotten. Your friends probably ditched you."

At that point, Sitara looked distressed and on the verge of tears. Odd felt sorry for the girl. Actually he felt sorry for anyone who had to deal with the beast in disguise known as Sissi. The purple loving boy was just about to step in when the person he least expected to did.

"People who degrade others to only feel better about themselves are worst then scum," Nyx said stepping forward. Her dark eyes held such intensity that Sissi found herself involuntarily taking a step back.

_"Isn't that hypocritical?" _Odd wondered to himself as he continued to watch.

"W-who a-are you?" the principal's daughter stuttered.

"That really is no concern of yours," Nyx said sounding bored as she looked at her perfectly manicure nails. "But know this," she said turning her gaze once again on the raven hair girl, "this girl is an acquaintance of mine. If I find that you are causing her stress of any kind," she said taking a few steps towards Sissi before they were close enough for her to tilt the girl's chin up with her finger, making her stare into her eyes, "then there will be serious consequences that I doubt you could even think of. Remember, if I wanted to, I could be your worst nightmare." Nyx removed her finger from the girl's chin and took a step back as she watched Sissi struggle to stand up, her legs feeling like jello. Nicolas and Herve quickly assisted the girl away from the woman as fast as they could. Odd still stood, not too far away but still unnoticed.

Nyx watched as Sissi was practically dragged away before turning her gaze towards Sitara. She kneeled in front of the girl, reaching out a hand slowly towards the girl's face. Both Odd and Sitara looked at the woman questioningly before she surprised both them.

She flicked the previously crying girl in the middle of the head with her thumb and forefinger before standing up straight and turning her back on the startled girl and walking away. Before she was too far away she said over her shoulder, "Grow a backbone. You won't be any help to him otherwise," she said before walking off towards the waiting limo and getting in.

Odd decided that it was best to leave the girl to herself. He returned to the hotel thinking only this, "_Was Nyx actually helping Sitara?"_

* * *

Nyx crossed her legs staring at the people with her in the limo. "I hope you know that what we have been assigned is of the utmost importance," she said.

"Of course," a voice said.

"Nothing else is to be expected," another said.

"When do we begin?" asked another.

"As soon as the King's pawns move into play," Nyx said. "Then we'll get rid of them, one by one."

"Our payment?"

"Do you not trust our leader?"

No response.

* * *

Ozzy walked through the lobby. He had just finished making calls with several interested investors of Evanescent Dream. He had begun planning the first few performances that the hotel was eager to host. The bills were paid the paychecks were given out and any other financial necessities were filed and being taken care of. The wheat hair young man wondered how this business had gotten on without him.

When he had arrived everything was in disarray and nothing was file as it should be. Chris and Ken were "big picture" type of guys while Chris made sure every loose bolt was screwed tight and checked over a thousands times. He had learned from mistakes in the past to never assume and to always have a backup plan no matter how menial.

He was walking towards the elevators when he accidentally bumped into the manager of the hotel, Anita Emeraldson. "Oh I'm sorry," he said.

"It's no problem," Anita said waving him off with a smile. "I wasn't paying much attention." Ozzy gave the woman one of his rare smiles before they both continued on their way.

No one noticed the slip of paper that was exchanged from his hand to hers as they bumped into each other, going along with their jobs.

* * *

William paced back and forth the length of his room. He was tired. No, tired was an understatement. He was about to fall out at any second but he forced his body to keep moving, to keep staying awake. Black rings were beginning to form around his eyes, a sign of insomnia, of lack of sleep.

When was the last time he slept? The boy racked his mind. It was on the bus but that was about three days ago. Three sleepless days. The shaggy hair teen rubbed his temples as his head pounded. Along with the lack of sleep, his headaches were becoming more frequent. So far he was able to hide his pain from the others but he didn't know how much longer he could continue. He was already on pain killers.

He stared at his bed. It seemed to be calling him, to lull him to sleep but he denied, resisted. Sleep only brought more pain and the dreams. Memories more so then dreams but they weren't his. They were Leon's. They were two different people. He wasn't Leon wasn't him and he wasn't Leon. He wasn't a clone. He was his own person…right?

"_Of course I am!" _he thought slamming his fist angrily down on his desk. He breathed heavily before collecting himself. It was just then that his cell phone rang.

"Come to the cabin. We're done," Cascada said from the other line.

"Are you going to give me a hint on what you're doing?" he asked trying to make his voice seem less strained.

"Are you going to go to sleep so you don't kill yourself?" the plant A.I. asked surprising the boy.

"Cascada, how-?" she had already hung up, leaving him to stare at his phone before putting it back in his pocket and leaving the room

It took about twenty minutes for the entire Lyoko gang to gather in Franz's old study. The trap door at the foot of the bookcase opened, Musa and Cascada stepping out.

"Are you two finally going to tell us what you've been doing?" Jeremy asked impatiently. He didn't like to be out of the loop. It made him feel vulnerable.

"Just follow these directions," Cascada said handing the younger blonde a piece of paper with plans that would make any normal person faint but luckily, Jeremy understood the procedures though he still had no idea what the results were.

"After you do that, call a cab at the hotel," Musa stated handing William a piece of paper with an address on it. "Tell the driver to take you here."

"Anyone mind telling us what's going on?" Ulrich asked.

"Everything you'll need you'll find in your pockets after the scan," Cascada said ignoring the boy. She looked at Ulrich, William, and Odd. "We trust you three to get Jer into a scanner."

"WHAT!?" the boy yelled.

"Don't worry," Musa said trying to comfort him. "You're not going on Lyoko but for this plan to work everyone needs to participate."

"But what is the plan?" Aelita asked.

"We'll tell you when we regroup," Cascada said. "But for right now, the boys we'll go first as we girls go back to the hotel and make sure Jim doesn't suspect anything. Once we do that, the guys should be gone and it'll be our turn."

"I still don't understand why I have to do this," Jeremy moaned. "He had had several experiences with him and the scanners and he wasn't so sure if he wanted to hang around in a virtual limbo or a recreation of the real world.

"If not for us," Musa whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Do it for Aelita," Cascada whispered in his other ear. The computer whiz blushed before gulping.

"F-fine," he muttered stepping away from the two girls.

"Great!" Musa said excitedly. "Now we can start operation 7 Up!"

"Out of all the possible names you could think of," Cascada said deadpanned, "you think to name the operation after a soda?"

"And a fairly popular, school game," the wolf A.I. retorted.

"Hey! I remember that game!" Odd grinned.

"Heads down! Thumbs up! Time to play 7 Up!" both he and Musa shouted, arm in arm.

"_They've lost it," _the rest of the Lyoko gang thought sweat dropping.

* * *

The girls had left. Now it was only the guys. Jeremy typed in the code as directed on the sheet. He was confident that he had typed everything right. He wasn't confident that he could step foot inside one of those accursed cylinders.

"Come on Einstein," Odd grinned, head behind his head. "It's not that bad."

"You seem to forget that I've haven't had the best time with the scanners," Jeremy said turning away.

"And you seem to forget that it's one of you," William said smirking, "against three of us."

Jeremy gulped as Odd and Ulrich each took one of his arms and William pushed his back. Not even having a chance to defend himself against his handlers, the blonde computer whiz found himself inside the small space of the scanner. Before he could even move to get out, the doors closed around him locking him within the space.

As the air around him began to blow upwards he realized something. He was seriously claustrophobic. He would _so _get Musa and Cascada back for this!

* * *

Hey guys! Another update! Really excited about the next chapter! Anyway, lots going on in the story. And what is the plan Musa and Cascada set up...? I know! You might have some idea aout what it is but you don't know the whole deal! (insert evil laughter) LOL! I love being the author.

You know, I realized that I'm using alot of ideas that I decided not to use in Code Moon in here. Like, for example, Musa was actually supposed to be blind or at least she was supposed to be on Lyoko. What else can I tell you...? Can't really think of anything!

I'm so excited! My B-Day is two days away! March 31st! But it's on a Monday! That sucks! It'll be just my luck that I get a truck load of homework.

Ooooo!! As a special B-Day surprise for my readers if you guess how old I'll be turning you'll get a special sneak peek for next chapter. One of my reviewers already guessed awhile ago so they don't have to worry about guessing. Clue: Think about the classes I'm always complaining about.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	15. How Do You See Yourself in 7 Years Part2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Wished I did but I don't. I do own**

**How Do You See Yourself in 7 Years?- Part 2**

She checked herself. Everything needed to be ready. Failure was punished severely. She had the wounds and her still unconcious partner to prove that. As she did another once over again, she couldn't help but worry that she would be at the receiving end of a painfully agonizing punishment.

"Are you ready?" one of her companions asked her.

She took a deep breath before nodding. "Let's go."

* * *

The scanner door opened and Jeremy found himself falling out of the cylinder shaped compartment, gasping for breath on his hands and knees. "If I ever... step foot... into another scanner... it'll be too soon," he said before he gasped, not because he was out of breath.

At that moment, the other three scanners opened, letting mist escape. Jeremy got up to his feet as he watched the other three males stumbled out of the scanners with just a grain of sand more grace than him.

"Man," a deep voice groaned. "I feel like I just took a ride in the transport orb."

"Odd?" Jeremy gasped.

"Yeah-wait! Who said that?" Della Robbia asked confused.

"I did." Blue eyes met violet ones as the two blondes stared at each before looking at their other two friends. Something was definitely different.

"Whoa!" Odd was the first to break the silence. "It's like that movie! _13 Going on 30_!" Odd grinned before he ran over to a mirror that was placed against one of the walls, looking at his reflection. "Hello handsome!" he smirked blowing kisses at himself.

Staring back at him was a tall, toned blond about the age of 25. Instead of a cone like shape, his hair was down past his shoulder with some at the top cut short and in a spiky style while some purple and blonde hair hung in his right eye. Two rings hung around his left earlobe while a piercing stud was above his eye. To say the least, he looked very glam rock despite the tight clothes that seemed to have shrunk during his growing process.

"What do you guys think?" Odd grinned holding his arms wide, waiting for approval.

"You look like a peacock," Ulrich said simply. The brunette's change wasn't as dramatic as his friend's. He was taller and his hair was longer, long bangs hanging in front of his hazel eyes. His body was well toned though not overly defined and his voice was slightly deeper.

"At least his voice doesn't sound like he's on helium anymore," William chuckled. The dark hair male's appearance didn't change that much either. His shaggy hair was slightly shorter and he was definitely the tallest out of the group. The most prominent change about him was the well fashionable mustache and goatee.

"Ha, ha, ha," Odd said sarcastically putting a hand on his hip and rolling his eyes. "You guys are so hilarious. Can't I get any respect?"

"You didn't have any to start with to begin with and it's hard to now when you look like a bird," Ulrich chuckled.

"So," Jeremy said deep in thought, "this is what they must have been working on," he said resting his chin on his fist thoughtfully. The computer whiz had grown some though he wasn't as toned as the others and looked rather skinny. His hair was longer and in a low ponytail going to mid back. His mind was swirling with a constant rushing stream of questions.

He couldn't believe that they were able to do this. It wasn't like it was impossible and he guessed that it was similar to the programming of forming a specter but to his knowledge no tower had been activated. It would have taken the boy weeks, maybe even months, to figure the equations for this out when it only took the two artificial intelligence a few hours. He wondered if Musa and Cascada had been around when they first discovered Lyoko would they have gotten rid of Xana within half the time it took them?

"Why are we like this?" Ulrich asked bringing Jeremy out of his thoughts.

"I think it may have something to do with the parts that we need to make those bracelets," William offered.

"I really don't care," Odd grinned. "I say we show ourselves off!"

"Only one problem," Ulrich said.

"What's that?" the brunette's roommate asked.

"Clothes," Jeremy pointed out since they were all wearing their regular clothes that were two small now for their bigger bodies.

William sighed before noticing something on the lab's table. He walked over to it and found stacks of cloth materials each labeled with their names. The stack that had his name on it had a note attached.

_Will, thought you might need these and even if you don't you guys are wearing them. If I don't see you guys in them _you _will be held responsible._

_-Cascada_

William sighed. Typical Cascada. He put the note away and gathered the clothes, tossing them to the others. "Come on. We need to catch a cab and go to the address Cas gave," he said.

"This is really good," Odd said looking at the clothes he was given. The design was great and the style was something he could actually see himself wearing. He looked at the inside collar to see who made it but only found a tag with a rose on it. Of course, being Odd, he couldn't put two plus two together and shrugged it off as he and the others got ready.

* * *

_Catocala Lacrymosa_, despite the meaning of its name, was very colorful, holding an air of excitement and pleasure making it one of the most famous and hard to get into clubs of France.

It was located in the entertainment quarter of the city located near some of the most expensive hotels. It was approximately four stories tall, the first three floors provided the clubbers to dance, mingle, drink, and have…intimate privacy if they so desired or was drunk enough.

_Lacrymosa_ was decorated in deep cool colors of blues, greens, purples, silvers and black in a modern twist of the mythical inspired theme of Mount Olympus, the home of ancient Greek gods.

After only being opened for the last three years, _Catocala_ had seen many visitors from only the most exclusive of exclusive people. A long lined wrapped around the block that held the club, containing people who thought that they may have been lucky enough to get inside. Except for a few lucky and beautiful women who managed to flirt with the club's bouncers, if you weren't on the list, you didn't get in…unless you were artificial intelligence who made computer hacking seem like child's play…

A sleek black taxi car smoothly stopped right in front of the entrance of the famous club. The people waiting in line along with the bouncers looked curiously at the taxi. Unless you were utterly sure you were on the list you didn't just park in front of the club liked you owned it. Even people who were on the list weren't that confident in themselves.

With inquisitive stares, the members of the line and the outdoor staff workers watched as four handsome men stepped out of the taxi. Many of the women and a few of the men hungrily took in the image of the men. The male with purple and blonde hair seemed to notice and winked at his admirers while his companions rolled their eyes.

"Stop showing off Odd and let's go," Ulrich sighed.

"Like I said before, Ulrich, this isn't something you just keep to yourself," the hyperactive blonde grinned as he waved a hand at his self. He was wearing a deep indigo button up shirt with a few of the buttons unbuttoned, showing off a well toned chest and a silver chained necklace, under a black vest with black pants.

Ulrich rolled his eyes at his friends newly gained vanity. He was wearing a similar green shirt under a black jacket, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black pants. A black leather bracelet with a green stone was tied around his left wrist.

William paid the taxi driver with the money that he found in his pocket, no doubt taken from the account Musa and Cascada had. As he straightened up he ran a hand through his hair tiredly. His headache from before was still their and Odd's constant blabbering about his look was grating his nerves. The shaggy hair man stuffed his hands into his black pants pocket, ignoring the urge to strangle the eccentric blonde with his red tie that he wore with his un-tucked black shirt and black pants.

Jeremy stood to the side, looking slightly uncomfortable as he cleaned his glasses off. He wore a light blue shirt under a black jacket and tie, looking like the most conservative one in the group. The blonde was wondering why they had been sent here. What could they possibly gain from going to a club? It all seemed impractical to him to waist their time and resources to go into a club that they were underage, that is mentally, for.

"Come on Einstein," Odd said tugging on the other blonde's arm and leading him and the others straight to the front of the line.

The tall, buff, and intimidating bouncer looked down at the four males. "Name," he said gruffly.

"Egen," the cat warrior of the group said before anyone could cut him off. Neither Musa nor Cascada had told them that they needed a name to get in so it was somewhat surprising when the bouncer nodded and stepped to the side to allow them in.

"How-" Ulrich began.

"I'm just a genius like that," Odd smirked as they walked through the deserted hallway.

"The day you become a genius is the day of the apocalypse," William muttered coolly causing Ulrich and Jeremy to laugh while Odd just pouted. They opened the door at the end of the empty quiet hall and were startled when loud banging music and flashing lights filtered through. The floor was packed, either with people dancing closely together or lounging around on the provided couches and booths.

Della Robbia grinned, about to jump in and be in the middle of all the dancing till he realized that they were missing something. "Hey, do you think the girls are here?" he asked.

"They said they would meet us here," Jeremy said pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Though it may be hard to find them."

"Why don't we just call them?" Stern offered.

"That would be a good idea," Jeremy nodded stuffing his hands into his pockets, "but did any of you bring your cell phones?" The other three boys paled as they realized that they had not brought their mobiles with them. Jeremy sighed rubbing his temples. "Knowing Musa and Cascada, they probably created each of our current states so it's possible that they'll be able to recognize us."

"But also knowing them they would like to play with our heads," William frowned remebering when the two had shocked him and Odd on the bus. "We wouldn't be able to tell if it were them or someone else."

"Uh, guys?" Odd said raising his hand. "Pink hair?" he offered. The others were amazed at the boy's thought. Of course they could at least find Aelita with her hair color but as they looked around the room they realized something. _A lot _of the girls here had pink hair and it was nearly impossible to distinguish professionally dyed pink hair from Aelita's natural mane.

"Man," Odd sighed plopping down in front of the bar counter after he had split up from the others in order to better look for the girls. "This is going to be a long night," he sighed putting his head in his hands.

_**Clink**_

He looked up to see the bartender place a glass in front of him. Odd looked at him questioningly before the man grinned. "From the lady," he said nodding his head over to a green hair woman who looked up from her drink at Odd and gave him a soft smile.

Her hair went to mid back, with some pulled into a messy bun at the back of her head held by a pair of chopsticks. A light brown braid some how tied together with the sticks and her hair before it fell over her shoulder. She wore a forest green sleeveless Asian looking shirt, with a golden dragon and at the bottom and golden cherry blossoms at the top, which had a split on both sides revealing supple creamy skin. A pair of brown loose fitted brown pants hung temptingly off her hips and a matching pair of brown and green sandals donned her feet.

She got up from her seat and made her way towards the blonde before sitting in the seat next to him. "Hi," she said softly but there was slight tone of seductiveness.

"Hi," Odd grinned. "Thanks for the drink."

"No problem," the woman said taking a sip of her drink. "You looked depressed. Thought you might need a little 'pick me up'" she said shrugging.

"Well, I was looking for someone," Odd said taking a sip of the drink he had been offered before nearly chocking on the liquid's caustic taste. He quickly composed himself before grinning at the woman. "I still haven't found her yet."

"Was that an attempt at a pick up line?" the woman asked arching a brow.

Odd laughed when any other man would have quickly denied. "Sorry, I'm taken," he said.

"Too bad…Egen," the woman smirked at the boy's slightly surprised expression. "You look so kawaii when you're shocked."

"Why are you calling me Egen and speaking in Japanese…Cascada?" Odd asked as he watched the smirk on the woman's face quickly fade.

"How did you know it was me and not Musa?" she asked.

"I'll admit that you two do look alike and if you both dyed your hair and had contacts that you could pass for twins," the purple and blonde hair man shrugged as he spun around to face the dance floor, a wistful look in his eyes, "but even then, I think I would still be able to tell you two apart. Musa's more open to things. You can tell by looking at her eyes."

_"Then what do you see by looking in my eyes?" _the plant A.I. wanted to ask. Instead she said, "I think I've underestimated you. You've grown a few brain cells with this transformation, it seems, Della Robbia."

"Thanks," the boy grinned before frowning, "I think…"

"So where are the others?" she asked finishing off her drink and taking Odd's unwanted one, causing the boy to raise a surprise brow as she chugged it down without any signs of distaste.

"We were looking for you guys," Odd said. "Why are we here anyway?" he asked.

The plant A.I. smirked slyly before getting up and placing herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck, shocking him. "You see the guy over my left shoulder? The red head?" she whispered in his ear. The boy nodded, unable to make any sound. "He's Lucas McArnald, the son of the unfortunately late Professor George McArnald."

Now Odd was confused. Not only was his girlfriend's sister practically sitting on his lap, probably due to the alchohol she had been drinkin, she was also talking about a guy who he had no clue how he related to them being here. Cascada must have sensed this as she pulled away from him to look at his confused face. "Professor McArnald worked with Hopper during his time at Project Carthage. McArnald specifically worked in the field that designed the materials we need for the bracelets. Since the Professor is no longer alive we'll have to get what we need from his son, Lucas."

"And how are you going to do that?" Odd asked regaining his voice as she slid off his lap.

"Just going to work a little magic. Remember it's all for show," Cascada smiled before patting him on the head and walking off into the crowd. For some strange reason, Odd felt like something bad was going to happen. A million different scenarios played in his head about the meaning of her words, none he liked too much, especially if Musa was involved. It was really ruining his mood.

He sighed turning to the bartender. "Give me what she had," he said. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard a small voice that sounded like his conscious, weirdly enough it sounded like a mix of Ulrich's sarcastic comments, Aelita's and Jeremy's disapproving lecturing, and Yumi's and Musa's foreign cursing. He was so screwed, he thought as he downed the slightly less biting liquid before asking for another.

* * *

Hey guys! I'm back! Ugh, took me forever to write this because I was reading _The Merchant of Venice _for mny Survey of Lit class. My B-day was okay but my mom got sick and I was sick for awhile but not as bad as she was. Poor thing, she had to take off work for three days. Best thing about my B-Day? New I-pod!

Okay, so back to the story. The idea for the guys outfit came from this picture I saw of them on deviantArt. Sadly though, I can't seem to find it. Odd's hairstyle and Cascada's older appearance also came from so pics on dA, so I'll put them on my profile so you can see them.

I've been planning to use this older version of the gang for awhile but it didn't really fit into Code Moon so I put it here! Man, I've been recycling alot of my ideas...

Sorry for the people who received my sneek peak. The events of that wont happen till next chapter this one was getting to long. Also, sorry, if you were offended by me having Odd and Cascada drink. It works with the plot and they were the only two whom, if they were really adults, would drink.

Longest note ever!

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	16. How Do You See Yourself in 7 Years Part3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and anything else that wasn't in the show.**

**How do You see Yourself in 7 Years? - Part 3**

Jeremy…was totally out of his element. He was used to tons of homework, complex math equations that were supposedly to advance for someone of his age, computers, and viruses that wanted to take over humanity. The occasional homicidal specter sprinkled into the mix now and then. He was used to be calling Four Eyes, Geek, Nerd, Einstein, Short Stuff, Shrimp, Stick in the mud, etc. (and that was only from Cascada). He was used to being ignored, letting others take the spotlight while he watched from the sides always working from behind the scenes. His work was always seen but he was not. He was used to this and rarely complained about it. So, you can only imagine how out of his environment he felt when several female club goers continuously tried to flirt with him. He was totally a fish out of water.

"So," one of the flirty female women who surrounded him purred. "Are you the head of some big company or something? You look like it."

"Yeah," another woman giggled. "I bet you're real smart."

"Uh, t-thank you," the boy stuttered, a blush creeping along his face. He had been trying to escape this crowd of women for a few minutes but they were like a pack of hungry wolves around a slab of meat. At the moment he was feeling very uncomfortable and was looking for some sort of an escape.

Suddenly, he felt the two women who had been mercilessly clinging to his sides be pushed away as a weight was placed his lap. The computer whiz blushed when he realized that it was a red headed woman, though he couldn't see her face. What was strange was that even though he was blushing he felt someone at ease with this woman's position in his lap.

"Honey," the red head sighed softly. "I've been looking everywhere for you," she said softly before turning so that her head was placed against his shoulder and he had a quick view of enticing emerald green eyes.

"Sorry, my love," Jeremy said smoothly, surprising even himself as he tucked a strand of the woman's wavy shoulder length hair behind her ear. "I was waiting for you and these nice ladies decided to give me company. Right?" he grinned handsomely at the women around here.

"Oh…yeah," they said, dishearten. They knew they were out of their league. The red headed woman was beautifully dressed in a rose colored cocktail dress that had light blue sequined beads along the hem, going higher to mid waist to form swirl like structures. The former intimidating women quickly excused themselves to hide their embarrassment.

The red headed woman laughed softly in his lap, sending slight shivers down his back as her breath tickled the skin of his neck. "I never knew you were such a heartbreaker, Jeremy."

"Well, I always knew you were a beauty, Aelita," he said taking her chin so they both gazed into each other eyes, light blushes on both of their faces. Suddenly, the two seem to remember what position they were in and Aelita immediately got off, blushing much harder then she was before.

"Oh, um…I'm sorry, Jeremy. I didn't mean-I thought it was best for this situation that I-"

"It's okay," the blonde blushed, "I mean, I understand…" he said before he continued to ramble. Aelita smiled amused as the boy blushed further realizing he was still rambling. When he stopped he tilted his head to the side confused as he stared at Aelita. "You're hair," he said running his hand through her red mane, realizing that it wasn't the same bubble gum pink it was originally.

"We had to change it," Aelita shrugged laying her head on his shoulder. "Cascada said that it would be too recognizable to Lucas."

"Lucas?" Jeremy asked confused. "Who's Lucas?"

"He's the son of one of my father's old colleagues. His father is dead but Musa and Cascada believe that Lucas has the items that we need since his father was a specialist in robotics and computer engineering."

"I doubt he'll just hand over the stuff for free. What do Musa and Cascada have in mind?" Jeremy asked frowning.

Aelita got up, pecking a quick kiss to his cheek before grinning down at him. "We're going to use his weakness against him," she said simply before walking into the thick of the crowd leaving a very confused and flustered Einstein behind.

* * *

Ulrich leaned against one of the walls of the club, trying desperately to keep out o view of what he called "the older Sissi" women. The brunette sighed. Was he destined to be followed by these types of women all through his life?

"Hiding from your fan girls?" a voice asked amused. He turned his head slightly to gaze upon a woman with ebony hair twisted into an intricate but casual bun at the nape of her neck, bangs hanging at the side of her face. She wore a black V-neck Asian shirt with a split on both sides at the bottom and a black above the knee skirt. Silver flowers danced around the hem of the shirt before going up and over her left shoulder and stopping, curling around a silver crescent moon. The brunette's brows slightly raised when he noticed the beginning of a tattoo on her left side where the split was but he decided to ask her about that later.

"You can say that," the boy sighed returning back to staring ahead of him at nothing in particular. The woman seemed to take this an invitation and leaned against the space of the wall next to him. Neither of the two talked though the woman seemed impatient.

"Are you going to say something?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Like anything!"

"I don't feel like it," he smirked down at her as he placed his hands in his pockets.

The woman took out a black and silver Japanese fan, opening it and closing it, bored. "You're no fun Ulrich," she pouted.

"Then go find, Odd then, Musa," the boy informed her with a smirk. The wolf A.I.'s bottom lip quivered.

"_Oh no," _Stern thought with dread.

"Do you not like me Ulrich? I thought we were friends."

"I do like and you are my friend," he said. "I was just hoping…" he said before he trailed off, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"You were hoping to find Yumi," the girl grinned knowingly.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked a little too quickly.

"Maybe…"

"Musa."

"Fine, fine, fine," the girl sighed, closing up her fan and using it to point somewhere to their right. "She's over there getting William. We're about to begin the plan."

"To get the parts?"

"Hai," Musa nodded before nodding her head off towards a red hair man. He was surrounded in a throng of beautiful women, smirking smugly as he flirted with all of them without any shame. "That's Lucas. He has what we need."

"And let me guess," Ulrich said stopping her. "Making us older has something to do with him."

"Of course," Utada grinned before frowning, "Though when you think of it, we only needed to make Cascada, Yumi, Aelita, and I older. What we're going to do, if it goes right, doesn't really require you guys."

"I think I have an idea of where this is going," Ulrich frowned. "I don't like it."

"Well you'll have to get over it," a green hair woman said walking towards them. He could only guess that it was Cascada by the way she held herself, wearing a mask of indifference and boredom. It always sort of weirded him out how impossible it was to tell what she was thinking. "This is the only time when he's fully exposed and when we can get him by himself."

"Fine," Ulrich sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just know that I won't stop Odd, William and Jeremy if the guy tries something."

"Your concern is sweet, but he would be taken care of before you four could even take a step," Cascada said with a chilling smile. Ulrich could have sworn that the temperature dropped inside the club by several degrees. "Come on, Musa," she said turning on her heels and walking away.

"Hey!" Musa called after her. "Wait! I can't walk in these heels! Cas!" she complained as she wobbly followed her sister.

"_I've befriended a group of mentals. Great," _Ulrich thought sarcastically before returning to his place against the wall.

* * *

The frown on William's lips etched deeper as he looked at the long black hair woman before him. She wore a black dress with a fiery red dragon design wrapping around her waist and onto her shoulder. If he was still infatuated with her he would be drooling at the sight. But that wasn't him anymore. Sometimes it felt like that William was a whole different person.

"Tell me you're kidding, Yumi," the shaggy hair male said in disbelief to the Japanese woman.

"Wish I were," she sighed. "I definitely don't want to be around a guy like Lucas. He's a total womanizer, even more so than what Odd ever was."

"That makes me feel better," William said sarcastically.

"Which one are you worrying about?" Yumi asked.

"What do you mean," the shaggy hair male asked.

"Are you more worried for Cascada? Or for Musa?"

"Cascada can take care of herself. Musa on the other hand is sometimes so naive."

_"Tell me about it," _Yumi thought to herself as she remembered the night they had spent in Ulrich and Odd's room together. "You know," she said, "Just because one seems stronger then the other doesn't mean it's true. It may just be a front. You really need to pay more attention."

"What are you talking about?" William asked confused. Before she could answer, her cell phone rang. It was Cascada.

"Can't explain right now. Have to get to work, but think about it, okay?" she smiled softly before walking away.

William watched the geisha warrior weave her way over towards the couch where on Lucas McArnald sat surrounded by several ladies. Two women, who he instantly knew where Musa and Cascada, were already there complimenting and flirting with the man as he soaked it all in with a cocky grin.

The woman at his right was soon replaced by Musa while Cascada took a position on his left. Yumi and Aelita took spots behind him, draping there arms over his shoulders. The women who were previously sitting with Lucas began to dwindle away when they realized they were no longer receiving any attention from the man.

William wanted nothing more than to punch the guy out when he ran a finger up and down Musa's arm, whispering something that caused the wolf A.I. to blush before she forced it down. He wondered how Odd was taking this. Speaking of the blonde…

"William!" a slurred voice called out. The sword wielding warrior turned to see Odd swaying as he walked over towards him, a glass of what he quickly guessed was a martini in his hand.

_"Like he wasn't a hand full before," _William thought frowning as the blonde finally stopped in front of him. He was surprised when the younger male wrapped his arms around him and pecked him on both cheeks before stepping back with a drunken grin on his face.

"William! È bello vederti! Good to see you!" Della Robbia said slinging an arm around Dunbar's shoulder, his alcohol smelling breath feeling the male's senses.

"Odd! What the heck? Why are you drunk? And how many have you had?" William demanded.

"Oh! I like them when they're demanding," Odd purred.

_"Damn! Why me?" _William thought, creeped out, to himself as he pushed Odd to where Ulrich was with Jeremy. Hopefully the two could help him keep their drunken friend under control. Unfortunately, they had to pass by the couch where the girls were with Lucas just as Musa was flirting with the man.

One second, William had a firm grip on Odd and the next, the cat boy was pulling the surprised wolf A.I. to her feet, pressing her firmly against him while he stared angry, drunken daggers at Lucas.

"Odd!" Musa whispered shocked. "What are you doing? You're going to mess this-" she was silenced when his lips pressed sloppily but forcefully against her lips. She tasted alcohol on his tongue as he forcefully slipped his tongue between her unresponsive lips but Odd either didn't notice or he didn't care as he pressed her back against the wall. How they had gotten from the middle of the room to the wall was beyond Musa. She needed to do something. Odd wasn't in the right state of mind and he was starting to have wandering hands…

Utada thanked whatever supreme being there was when William and Ulrich came, separating the two. "Odd!" Ulrich said angrily at his friend's behavior but he wasn't able to say more since the blonde was already passed out in his arms.

"Baka," Musa sighed rubbing her temple. "Why was he so drunk? Did any of you see him drinking?" she asked.

"No," Jeremy said walking over to them. Musa sighed again before looking back at Lucas. Despite Odd's interruption, Cascada, Yumi, and Aelita still seem to be reeling him in. The plant A.I. whispered something into the red hair man's ear making a slow grin form on his face.

Musa looked to William. She wondered if he was as uncomfortable about Cascada doing this as Musa was as uncomfortable about her having to seduce the pervert. She was only 16! What the heck did she know? But when she turned to William a small part of her was disappointed when he seemed to be more worried about her then his own girlfriend. She quickly pushed that aside as Cascada and Lucas got up.

As the plant A.I. was led towards the back of the club where the entrance to the floor above was, she gave Musa a slight nod before she and Lucas walked pass the two guards. Aelita and Yumi got up from their spots and walked over towards the others.

"Is Odd okay?" Aelita asked worried for her "cousin".

"To put it simply," Jeremy said pushing his glasses back up his nose and crossing his arms over his chest, "Odd is as drunk as a skunk."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Yumi muttered shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Cas just gave the signal," Musa informed.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Ulrich asked.

"Can you and William carry Odd?" Musa asked. Both boys nodded. The wolf A.I. turned to the computer whiz. "Do you have your laptop?" she asked.

"Come on, Musa," Aelita frowned. She didn't like that the group constantly made fun of Jeremy's intrest in computers thought sometimes, she admitted, he did go overboard. "Jeremy doesn't bring that thing-" The temporarily red headed woman's words stopped in her mouth as Jeremy pulled his laptop out from under his jacket before handing it to Musa.

"How did he-" William began before Ulrich shook his head.

"Don't even try to figure it out," the brunette advised as he shifted to support Odd better on his shoulder. "When he dies he'll be buried with that."

Musa opened the laptop, instantly opening up a program. "What are you doing?" Jeremy asked. The girl didn't respond as she typed in one final code and pressed "Enter".

"Wait for it," she whispered looking up at the guards guarding the area where Cascada and Lucas had just went through. The two men stood oblivious as a coil of black smoke wrapped around their lower bodies and rising up before it was breathed in by the men. They twitched for a second as the smoke was totally absorbed before returning to their former intimidating positions. "We're in," Musa smiled handing the computer back to Jeremy before getting up and walking towards the guards. The others followed behind her and weren't too shocked when the body guards let them in without any hassle. "The tower should last for at least three hours before they're able to control their bodies again."

"What if someone tries to get in?" Aelita asked as they walked down an empty hall, the loud sounds of the rest of the club instantly muted.

"I doubt anyone would," Musa said simply before they arrived at a set of double doors. "Here we are," she said opening the door.

Oh the sight they saw...

* * *

Hi peoples! Okay so once again, for the people who got that little sneek peak a couple of chapters ago you kind of have an idea of what to expect in the beginning of the next chapter. This chapter was, in the words of one of my favorite Naruto characters Shikamaru, troublesome. I don't know why. All the chapters that come before chapters where something major happens always seem hard for me to write. Ugh...

Anyway, I think I'll soon be changing my name to **_EvanescentDream93_**. Just thought to tell you so you guys would be prepared. I'll probably do it within a week or two to give me enough time to tell all of my readers. Weird. I always change my name based on my most popular story. I got **_MistFairie93 _**from my Peter Pan story.

Um...oh! I updated _MistFairie93's (soon to be EvanescentDream93's) Collection of Lyoko One Shots._ I'm still working on _emerald lady's story _and then I just have to do _chao m's. _Sorry for taking a long time on it guys.

Um...nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	17. Of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Ice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Zoey, Brooke, and Cassie. Code Lyoko belongs to some French guy and the other three belong to Hobolover. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and anything else that wasn't in the show.**

**Of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Ice**

Her eyes slowly opened as she was welcomed by the silence. She turned to the window seeing that night still reigned across the sky. Sitara stared at the vastness of the night's sky, watching as stars shine brightly for all to see.

The caramel eyed girl turned her gaze towards the other side of the room which held an unoccupied bed. Deangelo looked confused. She didn't remember seeing Musa at all today. She hoped her new friend was okay.

"_Or maybe she just got tired of you and your inability to speak," _she thought._ "It would be quite boring to be friends with someone who was silent."_

Sitara got up to her feet and picked up a bag she had placed near her bed. She carefully took out a small box before setting it on her bed and opening it. Wrapped within tissue paper was a beautiful red scarf that as she held it up towards the moonlight it sparkled with many different shades of red and gold. It had cost the girl a lot but it was perfect. She refolded the scarf and placed it lovingly back into the box, and the box back into the bag. Then she got up from bed and placed the box on the window sill, leaving the window opened slightly.

_"Please come."_

She went back to her bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin before returning to the land of sand and sleep.

A soft breeze blew, picking up a few flurries of snow from the ground and the trees and letting them whirl softly around in the air before falling down again. A shadow fell over the girl, blocking the moon's pale light from entering the room and just as quick as it had came, it left, taking the red scarf with it…

* * *

_**Cascada's P.O.V.**_

It's official. I'm going to take a very, very, VERY long shower when I get back to the hotel.

"Are you okay?" I looked up to see Lucas looking at me. My distaste for being in this present situation must have showed outwardly.

"I'm fine," I giggled. GIGGLED! If there is one thing I don't do, it's giggling. I clung on tighter to his arm, but Lucas didn't seem to care. Actually, I think it just further increased his over inflated ego. If it wasn't impertinent for him to be alive, well, you can probably guess where I'm going with this.

"So," Lucas said, casually draping an arm around me, "don't you think it's a little too loud in here?" I wasn't stupid and knew exactly where this was going, thankfully (or maybe not) this was part of the plan; to get Lucas away from the rest of the club goers.

"Sure," I said batting my lashes as I leaned in closer to him. "I really like quiet places. It allows me to be more…creative." And cue the rise in testosterones. Joy.

With a cocky "I-got-the-hot-chick" kind of grin he got up from the couch, offering me a hand. I took it and let him lead the way towards a hall guarded by two guards. I looked over my shoulder and gave Musa a nod before we entered the hall. The hall led towards a room and with a big grin, Lucas opened the door to reveal a cross between an office and…a something else that I rather not think about, but now I was sure that this room was sound proof. Though what I had in mind probably wasn't what the designer was thinking when the room was made, this was a big plus for the plan.

"Would you like something to drink?" Lucas asked.

"Not really," I said walking past him and examining a few sculptures. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, pulling me against him. He moved my hair over to one side and-

"Ouch!" he cried pulling away, holding his hand.

"Is something wrong?" I asked innocently as small sparks of green electricity disappeared.

"No, no," he said shaking his hand. "Just a little shock. You and I must have a spark," he grinned. Kill me now.

"Maybe," I said walking towards him, putting a slight sway in my hips. I could see him hungrily take me in and it made me absolutely sick. Damn. I'm going to need a year long shower after this. "You know," I said placing my hand on his shoulder and walking around him, letting my hand drag along his chest and back as I walked in a circle around him. I felt him shiver and I felt even more disgusted though…maybe at myself. "I'm kind of weird."

"How?" he asked, a little too eager.

"I like to tie my hostages up."

"I'm your hostage?" he asked with a grin. "I guess I'm game."

"Good," I said opening up my purse and taking some rope out.

"You were prepared," Lucas chuckled as I began to tie the rope around him. "Try not to tie it too tight," he said, but I completely ignored him.

"There," I said stepping back.

"You tied these really tight," Lucas chuckled though it held a note of nervousness in it. "Mind letting them a little loose?"

"No, then you would be able to get away," I said.

"Come on," Lucas said sounding slightly frantic. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Too bad," I said letting my hand glow with green electricity, watching as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "I wasn't lying when I said you were my hostage."

* * *

When the Lyoko gang entered the room they weren't that surprised to see Cascada sitting atop a desk, legs crossed over the other as she filed her nails. Lucas McArnald was tied up, laying on his side in a fetal position, wimpering. They all turned their gaze, except for Odd who was still knocked out, onto the plant A.I.

"What?" she asked irritated. The others didn't respond as they entered the room closing the door behind them.

"Help!" Lucas yelled at them.

"No can do," Ulrich said leaning against the door imposingly.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" the red hair man asked sounding somewhat hysterical.

"Oh Lucas-kun," Musa pouted, "don't tell me you forgot about us," she said walking towards him before letting her eyes flash a neon blue. If the man wasn't nervous before he definitely was now.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" he screamed before Cascada shoved a rag in his mouth.

"Now he's definitely going to just give us what we want," Jeremy said sarcastically.

"I didn't see you coming up with any ideas, Four Eyes," Cascada retorted before kneeling down in front of the gagged and terrified man. She felt the man's eyes roam her body and she almost wanted to gouge his eyes out right on the spot but refrained…for now. "Now I'm going to remove the rag from your mouth and when I do you will not scream. Deal?" He nodded. She removed the gag.

The man worked his mouth around as if to get rid of the taste of the rag. Who knew where it had been. He turned his eyes towards the Lyoko gang calmly opening his mouth as to speak to them.

"HELP!! HOT COMPUTER CHICKS ARE ABOUT TO HAVE THEIR WAY WITH ME AND THEN KILL ME!" he screamed.

"BAKA HENTAI!" Musa yelled angrily slamming her foot down on the poor man's head knocking him out cold.

"You couldn't just stuff the rag back in his mouth?" Cascada asked raising an eyebrow.

The wolf A.I. merely shrugged. "You know you wanted to do it too," she said.

"You're right," the plant A.I. sighed.

"Now what are we going to do?" Aelita asked.

"Drink some bubbly!" Cascada grinned taking out a bottle of champagne from out behind the desk. She opened it, taking a swig out of it before it was wrenched out of her hand.

"Cascada!" William said frowning holding the bottle.

"William," the plant A.I. said holding her hand out. "Give me back the bottle."

"We already have one drunk, Cas, we don't need another one."

"Just give it back!" Hikaru growled reaching for the bottle. "My body has a fast metabolism and can easily break the alcohol down."

"That still doesn't mean you can drink yourself crazy!" William yelled. At that point the two were standing in front of each other, the rest of the Lyoko gang were quiet as they watched the couple.

"I'm not a child, William. I don't need someone to watch over me because I'm incompetent to hold my own feelings together!"

"That's the point! You don't show any feelings at all!"

The room was silent. It was like time had stopped. Cascada was the most shocked of all but she and William quickly got out of it. She walked the remaining few steps towards the shaggy hair boy silently.

"Cas," William said softly. "I d-didn't mean that. I-"

_**Crackle! Slap!**_

Dunbar fell onto his behind, holding his abused cheek as the electricity from Cascada's suspended hand died down. "I think you did," she said, her hair hiding her eyes before she calmly walked out the room.

Yumi watched as William got back up to his feet. "Are you okay, onii-san?" Musa asked rushing to him.

"Yeah," the boy responded softly.

Yumi squeezed Ulrich's shoulder and he nodded before she slipped through the door quietly in search for her friend.

* * *

Her hair softly blew in her face, forcing her to tuck the strands behind her ear as she sat with her legs drawn up to her on a nearby bus stop not too far from the club.

_"You don't show any feelings at all!"_

She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. She stared unseeingly in front of her. That too recent moment in time kept playing over and over again in her mind. Though William had been the one to have been slapped, the plant A.I. felt as if it were her who had been slapped.

"Congratulations, Cas," she smirked sadly to herself, "You won the Cold Hearted Bitch of a Girlfriend Award, you must feel so flattered."

"I wouldn't exactly say Cold Hearted," Yumi's voice startled her as the geisha warrior sat down next to her.

"_But you still implied that I was a bitch of a girlfriend," _Cascada thought eye twitching. "_Are you trying to make me feel better or what?"_

Yumi took in a deep breath before turning to the plant A.I. "Cas-"

"You agree with him don't you?" Hikaru asked cutting her off.

"Not entirely but-"

"But what?" Cascada yelled getting to her feet and facing the girl. "What is it about me that is so wrong? What is about me that he, that he h-hates?"

"William doesn't hate you," Yumi said frowning.

"Could have fooled me," Cascada muttered looking up. She thought she saw a shadow move on a rooftop above but shook her head as she turned back to Yumi. "If a boat was sinking and it had me, William, and Musa in it and William could only save one person he would pick Musa."

"Don't think like that Cas. Don't think like-"

"Like a pessimist? I'm sorry Yumi but it's hard for me to think any other way especially with how my life has been going."

"Maybe that's your problem."

"I don't have a problem."

"Weren't you just the one who was saying she did have one?" The green hair woman was quiet as she turned her head back up towards the night sky. Ishiyama sighed. "You can't keep running away, Cascada, when things get uncomfortable for you. Hey! Are you even listening to me?" the Japanese woman asked getting up angrily and walking over to her friend.

"Cas, listen," she said putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. The next thing the geisha warrior knew was that she was pushed against the wall. "What are you-" Yumi trailed off as she noticed the spot where they both stood. Large, glittering, pointy, shards of ice were embedded in the ground where they both had just been standing.

Without warning, Cascada put an arm underneath the other girl's legs and back before picking her up, bridal style.

"Hold on," was the only warning given before Yumi felt the world around her move in a blur.Cascada pushed all her energy into her legs as she moved down the strangely deserted streets, Yumi clutching onto her. "_Where are they?" _she wondered to herself as her green eyes scanned the rooftop above. She just barely dodged as she heard what she thought was a bell before the earth crumbled into a deep abyss where her feet had just been. As she landed back on the ground from her jump her foot slipped and both she and Yumi crashed down to the ground. "Ice?" the plant A.I. hissed as she looked down at the slippery surface. She quickly tried to pull herself back up to her feet but a sharp pain shot up from her ankle.

"Cascada? Are you okay?" Yumi asked.

"I twisted my ankle," the plant A.I. informed her as her eyes scanned the rooftops. She could see two figures running along the roofs towards them. She scanned the streets, her eyes landing on a motorcycle. "Help me get to that," she pointed out.

"What? Why?" Yumi asked confused.

"Just do it!"

* * *

Aelita bit her lip, watching as Musa examined William's cheek. "It should be okay," the wolf A.I. said reassuringly. "You'll just need to put some ice on it when we get back to the hotel." William nodded silent. Musa gave him a reassuring hug before pulling away quickly, nose turned up to towards the air as if sniffing something. "DUCK!" she yelled.

The rest of the gang barely had time to do what she said as three spinning projectiles came flying towards them, making an arch in the air before returning from where they came from.

"Looks like the kiddies snuck their way into the adult pool," they all turned around to see a woman with auburn colored hair pulled into a messy bun with the rest of her hair hanging down lounging on the couch. She wore a sleeveless turquoise dress that stopped just below her thighs with a red and gold knee length wrap tied around her waist. On her shoulder was a metal shoulder pad, over her eyes was a slim red visor, and her hands were dressed in finger less turquoise and gold gloves. She uninterestedly fingered a small dagger in her hands.

Another woman stood behind the couch wearing a black hooded dress that stopped below her knees with a pair of black pants and boots. A red belt hung around her hip and her hood was pulled up, covering her hair. The only part of her face that wasn't hidden by her hood was her eyes which instead, were also covered with a black visor. A bow was held ready in her hands though no arrow was placed in it.

The three spinning projectiles slowed down as they floated back to the woman who had spoken out reached hand. The three objects floated down to her hand unfolding to reveal three white sheets...of paper.

"Who are you?" Musa growled, her hands tingling with electricity. William and Ulrich had gotten into fight positions on either side of her while Aelita and Jeremy moved the still unconscious Odd and the now awake and squirming Lucas out of the way.

"That really is of no importance," the turquoise woman said. "We merely came here for information that that man possesses. Once we get what we want, he will no longer be of any use to us and he'll be…deleted."

"You're not touching him!" Utada said, eyes flashing blue.

"We were supposed to complete this objective with little opposition," the woman sighed wistfully before snapping her fingers. She disappeared as her companion raised her bow towards the gang. A flaming arrow appeared in it before she released sending the flame flying towards them.

* * *

"What do you plan on doing?" Yumi asked once she had helped Cascada over to the motorcycle.

"Getaway vehicle," the plant A.I. said getting on.

"But we don't have the keys," Yumi said.

"Don't need one," Hikaru smirked as she ran her electricity covered hand over the bike before it started to life. "Need a lift?" she asked. Yumi looked hesitant but as an ice dagger flew too close for comfort, she decided to hop on.

Cascada took off without warning, weaving in and out, avoiding the on coming attacks. "They're gaining on us!" Yumi yelled over the roar of the wind as she glanced at their pursuers.

"You've driven one of these before, right?" Cascada yelled.

"Only the over bike on Lyoko and that was once."

"Well here's more practice time," the plant A.I. said. Yumi horrifyingly understood what her friend was getting at and managed to grab onto the handles of the bike just before Cascada let go.

Some how, the plant A.I. managed to turn around in her seat, still keeping the bike balanced. She wrapped her hands around Yumi and created two spheres of electricity, one in each hand.

"Don't fry me," Yumi warned over her shoulder.

"Don't worry. If I did I would loose one of the few sane members of the group," Cascada smirked. She took the two spheres and focused on where her attackers were. She heard a bell before they ground began to rumble. Cascada threw one of the balls of electricity where she heard the bell sound come from as Yumi dodged the newly formed hole in the street. When Cascada looked back up at the rooftops she only saw one following them now. The plant A.I. looked over her shoulder to see where Yumi was taking them and saw an empty metal bridge up ahead. "Head towards the bridge, we'll be able to draw them out." Yumi nodded as she swerved the cycle towards their destination.

* * *

Lucas watched as the ones he figured out as Musa and William fight off the two mysterious women. The brunette male, Ulrich, was held against the wall by several throwing star shapped pieces of paper, trying to free himself and help his friends. "_This has gone on for too long," _he thought reaching into his pocket for his switchblade.

While the glasses wearing blonde and his female companion were too busy worrying for their friends, Lucas began to free himself from the ropes.

* * *

"Stop here," Cascada ordered before they drove onto the bridge. Yumi stopped the bike before the bridge. "Now get off."

"What?" Yumi asked incredulously.

"Just trust me, Ishiyama," the plant A.I. said annoyed.

"Fine," the Japanese girl said getting off, "be careful," she whispered.

"I will. Now hide in those bushes and don't come out until I say so okay?" Without waiting for a response, the green hair female drove onto the bridge, she turned the bike around to face the direction she came from, revving up the engines. She didn't have to wait long before the remaining figure that was following them appeared before her, only a few feet away. It was obvious that who ever they were, they were a female. They wore a black knee length dress with matching pants and boots and a blue belt around her waist. "Who are you and what do you want?" Cascada yelled.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, _Rose." _Cascada flinched slightly at the mention of her old name before a wicked smirk grew on her face.

"It seems you know my name, but I have yet to know yours," she said.

"Don't worry about that, you won't need to know it," the figure said before a long threatening looking ice spear appeared in her hands.

"And people call me the ice queen," Hikaru remarked.

"It can get annoying," the unknown girl replied before throwing the spear at Cascada. The plant A.I. retaliated with a spark of green electricity that turned the spear into harmless little pieces of ice that quickly melted. "Quick reflexes. Impressive, but I guess that's only to be expected from your division," the ice A.I. said.

"Division? What are you talking about?" Cascada yelled.

"Yet again, that is something that I'm sadly unable to tell you, but know this. I and my fellow comrades hold you and your division of the utmost highest respect. It's going to be a great honor to kill you."

"I don't think so, hon," Cascada said getting off the motorcycle. With one hand placed over the motor of the bike, she slowly took in its energy like Musa had done once before when fighting off a crowd of possessed shoppers. Though unlike Musa, Cascada was doing it at a slower pace than her sister had done, making her less susceptible to being overwhelmed by the foreign energy.

With the newly gained energy, Cascada slammed her hands down of the ground, watching as the sparks of electricity traveled through the metal frame of the bridge. "You know, it's simple science. Metal is a conductor of electricity and electricity is always looking for an opposite charge to move towards. You should know that it's not that difficult to change the charge of the electricity around us for beings such as ourselves." The air around them seemed to become thick and they could almost taste the electricity being pulled towards them.

"That would be a very strategic move but in your current form you wouldn't be able to survive the whiplash of the released energy," the ice A.I. said.

"I know that," Cascada smirked. "Which is why I'm using this as a distraction," she said before letting the motorcycle go as it sped away from her on its own, heading towards the ice A.I.

The unknown female seemed unnerved by the fast moving vehicle as she merely raised as hand, casting a thin sheet of ice to form on the ground and causing the bike to skid to its side, sliding past her. When she looked back towards Cascada, the plant A.I. was gone.

"Up here!" the green hair woman yelled just before she dropped down, both hands immersed in a green light.

The ice A.I. flew back, skidding to the ground hard from the impact of the attack. Cascada landed, wincing slightly when she put too much pressure on her ankle. Before she could even think about moving, a pillar of earth rose from the ground beneath the unconscious ice A.I. and raising her up to the top of the bridge where a similarly dressed girl stood. Cascada could only guess that it was the other person who was following them since their shoulder was singed with burnt marks.

The apparently earth A.I. picked up their fallen comrade from the pillar of earth before letting it sink back down and giving Cascada a respectful bow, which confused her to no end, before disappearing into the night.

"_Things just keep on getting weirder," _Cascada thought to herself sitting on the ground. "Oi, Yumi! Come out! Someone needs to help me hobble back to the club!"

* * *

Yeah, this chapter was going to be longer but I was afraid that would be too much and if I continued then you guys probably wouldn't get this until next weekend.

Um...Lucas is a perve... He kind of reminds me of Miroku from Inuyasha, you know, serious at one point and then asking you to bare his shoulder the next. Sadly he doesn't have a Sango unless you consider his platonic relationship with Musa and Cascada.

I was kind of cringing during some parts of this. You guys should know by now that fight scenes, though nessicary are torture for me. I can never think of the right words to say. Also, I'm not sure if I like the feather girl's power. Originally I was thinking of having her use paper as a weapon, like Konan from Naruto but I wasn't sure. Ugh...I may go back and change her powers later if I can think of anything. Any ideas from you guys would be nice except nothing dealing with time or mind control coughcoughbigspoilerforlatercoughcough...**(Edit: I decided to go with paper manipulation but ideas are still appreciated)**

The last part with Cascada and the electricity...don't trust Cas's explanation. It's been a while since I've had a lesson in electricity so somethings may be wrong.

I say this again, I really need to stop procrastinating. I'll spare you from the details since you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about.

**Important news!**

**1. **I'll be soon changing to EvanescentDream93

**2. **I have a new story up for Ouran Host Club so if any of you guys like that anime, check my story out.

**3. **I made a new vid for Code Lyoko on YubeTube

**4. **There is a really important pole on my profile that I need everyone to take.

and the most importnat news...

**5. YOU GUYS ROCK! Thanks to ( in no particular order):**

**_HoboLover_**

**_alteris_**

**_chao m_**

**_fightingpacifist_**

**_Miss Dark Shiva_**

**_cheerfulpessimist-and-darkrose_**

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_Sorry if you were one of the people who changed their names and you see your old name and your new name up here. I just basically copy and pasted the last list I did and added the new ones I saw._

Um...nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	18. Catocala Lacrymosa

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and anything else that wasn't in the show.**

**Warning: **Don't really do this but just want to be safe for any kiddies reading this. This chapter contains sexual inuuendos, angst, and death.

**Catocala Lacrymosa: A Dying Hope for a New Tomorrow**

* * *

"_I hold the world but as the world…A stage where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one." __**–The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (Antonio- 1.1.1)**_

* * *

The growling wolf A.I. used the back of her hand to wipe the blood away from her mouth. Her clothes and body had various cuts and first degree burn marks though there were more so cuts. The paper manipulator before her took paper cut to a whole new level that before tonight, Musa didn't think was even possible.

Musa chanced a quick glance at William; he didn't look any better than she did. Blood was freely trickling from his bleeding lip unnoticed as he held the gaze of the fire manipulating woman. Small red sparks were at his fingertips and Musa wondered how much he was able to wield before he would have to make some contact with the wolf A.I. "_We really need to speed up the work on his sector," _Musa thought before putting her full attention back onto the paper A.I.

The woman was smirking as she fanned herself with a paper fan she had created. There was barely a scratch on her save for the slightly torn wrap around her waist. "I must say," she grinned, "this is really entertaining. Am I right?" she asked her fire using comrade.

The other merely nodded. Musa noticed that between the two women, the flame A.I. was the silent of the two. So many questions swam in the wolf girl's head, the top being: Who were these people? What did they want? And the most important question was: There are more of us?

"Well I'm glad you think this is all fun and games," William snared sarcastically.

"Lighten up," the origami woman sighed. "I heard you used to be the life of the party once. Quite the rebel, but now… you're basically like an old man. I can see why your lover left," she smirked at the frown that etched deeper into his expression as she mentioned Cascada. "Though with your body, dud or not, I wouldn't leave you by yourself.

"You don't know anything about him!" Musa growled.

"Like you do?" the woman asked raising a questioning brow over her visor. "Face the facts; we know a lot about you and your little _Lyoko Gang."_

_"_Esen" the fire manipulator finally broke her silence. "Let's get this over with."

"Of course," the one called Esen said seriously as sheets of paper lifted out from under her wrap swirling around her like a mini whirl wind. "Any last words? No? Good," she said flicking her wrist, causing the paper to fold into dagger like shapes. With another flick of her wrist they were-

Esen crashed to the ground, holding her head. The fire manipulator and Musa were doing the same. William felt sick but everyone else, except for the still passed out Odd, felt perfectly okay.

"What the-" Musa groaned as she looked up to see Lucas with a strange gun in his hand, trigger pulled. It was pointed towards Esen and the fire A.I. but Musa and William still felt the effects.

"I was wondering when I was going to get to use this," the red headed man smirked as Esen growled.

"Retreat!" she yelled as she and her comrade managed to get to their feet. The fire A.I. disappeared in a bright flame but not before she had time to throw a small flame at Esen. The paper A.I. caught it in her hand, seemingly not burned by the unnatural flame. In her other hand she made a small crane bird with a candle wick coming from its back. "A parting gift," she said before lighting the bird and blowing on it, making it glide across the air. Esen snapped her fingers and she was gone with a flurry of paper.

"Get down!" Lucas yelled before throwing a silver shaped ball. A blue dome appeared around them just before an inferno of flames surrounded them. The fire alarms instantly came on, quenching the flames. The sounds of screaming and displeased club goers were heard as they made their way out of the club as the sprinklers rained down upon them. The dome retracted, revealing the scorched marks of the fire.

Ulrich, who had finally gotten himself down from the wall, sighed in relief. "That was close. Hey, you can put that down now," he said to Lucas seeing that the man still had it raised.

"Do you not know what they are?" Lucas yelled motioning at the still sick Musa and William.

"We do and we know you do too," Jeremy said taking a hesitating step towards the man, "which is why you should put that down."

"Can't you see you're hurting them?" Aelita cried.

"Like they haven't hurt people before?" Lucas cried hysterically. "Look at them! They're monsters. I thought they were gone, but if it was one thing that my father taught me it was that these _things _don't just go away and-"

Lucas stopped as he felt a pressure against his head. "Turn it off," a low, calm, and steady voice threatened. The total and complete toneless sound of the voice sent chills down everyone's backs. Lucas looked from the corner of his eyes to see the purple and blonde hair male, now cognizant, holding a gun to his temple.

"If I don't kill them, they'll kill me," McArnald said keeping his voice low. "Don't you see?"

"Look," Odd said. "I got drunk. My head it throbbing. I feel like I'm about to get reacquainted with my dinner very soon and you're pointing a gun that's doing something to hurt my girlfriend. I really doubt you would want to mess with me. Like they say, alcohol brings out the worst in people and I don't think you want to see my worst."

The red hair man sent a hesitant gaze towards the struggling artificial intelligence before letting go of the trigger and dropping the gun to the floor. "Happy?" he asked but when he looked back at Odd he saw that the blonde was passed out, snoring on his desk.

Ulrich shook his head, taking the gun away from the sleeping blonde before rolling his eyes. "This isn't even loaded. Idiot," he said shaking his head though softly grinning at his friend. "_Only Odd," _he thought.

Jeremy and Aelita helped William and Musa to get to their feet. The shaggy hair male glared at Lucas, about to give the man a piece of his mind but what Musa did surprised all of them.

The wolf A.I. took a step forward towards the weary red hair man before going into a deep bow. "I apologize, Lucas-san, for any inconvenience we have caused you. We did not mean for tonight's events to play out this way. We merely came for your assistance."

"What was your number?" the man asked before specifying, "During the project."

"My Program Identification number was 5262: Lyoko Analysis Network Avatar, L.A.N.A., second scout program for Project Carthage but I'm now known as Musa Utada," the wolf A.I. said pointing to herself before pointing to William. "He's the replica program (William frowned at this) of Program number 5366: Leading Ethical Organizing Navigator, L.E.O.N., a hacker program for Project Carthage, but he is now known as William Dunbar."

The gang saw the hard look in Lucas's eyes soften a bit as he looked at the two. "Waldo Schaeffer's independent projects. How were you two able to survive after the Schaeffer family was killed?"

"The Schaeffer family is very much alive," Jeremy said pushing his glasses back up his nose as he stuffed his hands in his pockets while giving Aelita a sidelong glance. Lucas noticed this and looked at Aelita before his eyes widened.

"Is that little Aelita?" he asked, chuckling in surprise. The usually pink hair female nodded. "Wow, have you grown," Lucas said eying her. "Though I thought you were several years younger than me. How old are you? Twenty-one?"

"Physically, I'm fifteen actually," Aelita said with a smirk as McArnald's jaw dropped. "This is actually an illusion created by one of my father's inventions."

"What the-Did he create the fountain of youth or something?" the man asked incredulously.

"More like the virtual tower of youth," Aelita said offhandedly with a shrug.

"Are you all-?" Lucas said gesturing at them.

"Teenagers?" Musa asked finishing his sentence. "Yeah."

"Wish I had whatever you guys had when I was a younger. I could have stocked up on beer," Lucas grinned before Aelita's cell phone went off.

"It's Cascada," she informed as she answered the phone.

"She's Program number 7673: Router Organizer System Engine, R.O.S.E., first scout program now going by Cascada Hikaru," Musa explained

"Or you may know here as the crazy woman that tied you up," Jeremy supplied.

The color from Lucas's face drained. "Is she the one that hit me on the head, knocking me out?"

The man heard a nervous laugh. "Actually," Musa said sheepishly, "that was me, but you were acting like a pervert."

Lucas smirked as he walked towards her. He stopped before her and lifted her chin up to look at him. "Who said I was acting?" he said with a seductive voice before glancing down at her ruined dress that exposed quite a bit of skin.

The wolf A.I. blushed with embarrassment and furry. "HENTAI!" she yelled slapping the man.

"Ow," the red hair man said dully holding his stinging cheek. The pain hurt, but he was quite used to this by now. "What did you guys come here for again?" he asked.

Aelita took something out of her purse, handing him the bracelet that they needed parts for. "Musa and Cascada said that your father was an expert in this kind of field," William said.

"He was but he's-"

"Dead. We know," Jeremy said. "That's why we came here for you."

Lucas put his hands behind his head, rocking on the heels of his feet. "My old man did mention something like this would happen. At the time I thought he was crazy but…if Mr. Schaffer sent you guys then it's okay. But we'll need to go to my house to get the stuff."

"Okay, but we'll have to pick up Yumi and Cascada first," Ulrich said.

"Was Yumi the hot Asian chick?" Lucas asked with a smug on his face. "Wouldn't mind doing a little kung-fu with her, if you know what I mean." William and Jeremy had to hold Ulrich back.

"Let him give us what we need," Jeremy whispered.

"And then you can beat him up all you want," William said.

"Fine, but he's all mine," the brunette growled, "though I'll throw in a few punches for you guys and Odd too."

"Deal," the boys agreed.

* * *

Nine figures walked into the large empty complex of the McArnald mansion. Lucas shrugged off his coat and threw it to the floor before turning around and outstretching his arms out. "Welcome. Mi casa es su casa," he said with a grin before frowning slightly.

Musa and Cascada were wearing Ulrich's and Jeremy's jackets since both their clothes were messed up in the fight. ("My creations! Ruined!" Cascada had cried dramatically for a few minutes before they were able to move her.) Musa was supporting the somewhat cognizant Odd while Cascada, since she was still angry and hurt by William, had _forced _Jeremy to help support her.

"Maybe you three should clean up," Lucas said pointing to Musa, Odd, and Cascada. "Vomit has never really been in season," he said to Musa and Odd who were both covered in the blonde's digested food. Apparently, the cat warrior couldn't keep his liquor down and didn't do very well on the limo ride there. "There are two rooms with their own bathrooms that have some clothes you can borrow. They're up those stairs and to the right."

"Thanks," Musa said appreciatively as she wrapped one of Odd's arms around her shoulders before wrapping her arms around his waist as she slowly led him up the stairs. Cascada pulled away from Jeremy and began hobbling towards the stairs when she was swept off her feet. Literally.

"It would take you all night," William explained as he carried the plant A.I. up the stairs.

"Well, while they're getting cleaned up, I'll show the rest of you to the stuff you need," Lucas said leading the way.

* * *

Musa hummed soothingly as she held Odd's hair back as he retched into the porcelain toilet. The cat warrior groaned as he leaned his head on the toilet's cool surface. Musa flushed the toilet before taking a cool damp towel and placing it against his sweat cover forehead. She was wearing one of Lucas's t-shirt, which was big enough for it to be a decent dress for her, tied at the side with the shorts she had hidden under her dress underneath. Odd's shirt was taken off, not yet replaced because of the blonde's high temperature trying to sweat the toxin out of his body.

"I hate alcohol," he moaned closing his eyes as he concentrated on taking deep breaths.

"Why were you drinking it to begin with?" Musa asked softly, conscious that too much loud noise wouldn't be good for him.

"I don't know," Della Robbia pouted as he leaned his head on his girlfriend's shoulder. "I think I just let the whole not-needing-a-fake-ID-to-get-liquor thing get to me," he said sighing as Musa ran her fingers through his hair. Silence filled the room for a few minutes as Odd steadily breathed in and out, Musa watching her blonde kitty lovingly. "Muse?" Odd spoke looking up at her.

"Yeah?"

"Did I do, you know, something to you? I mean, when I was drunk? Something that would make you uncomfortable?"

For a normal human to think of a reasonable and believing lie it usually took a few seconds of hesitation unless you were a good actor, a spy, an A.I., or…a lawyer. Musa fit the A.I. category and was able to process a good lie after half a second that Odd had asked his question. She smiled before saying, "Of course not. Though I think you did kiss William. Kind of made me jealous," she grinned.

"Kill me now," Odd cried draping himself dramatically across the toilet. Musa giggled though she couldn't get over the fact to as how easy she lied to Odd…

* * *

Cascada winced as William silently applied rubbing alcohol to her wounds as he kneeled before her while she sat on the bed that they were in. Her ankle was already wrapped up with bandages and she had changed into a pair of women's clothing that she had found that she really didn't want to know why they were even there. Neither Cascada nor William had spoken a word since the group had gotten back together. Both were too stubborn to admit that they were wrong and settled into an awkward silence.

William applied more alcohol to the cotton swab he had found before applying it to her arm. The plant A.I. let out a small cry of pain before clamping her mouth shut as William applied a little too much pressure. "Sorry," the shaggy hair teen apologized.

"It's okay," the plant A.I. replied softly as the male applied the last bandage before sitting on the bed next to her. They both stared forward, silent, both contemplating on how to start a conversation without it being awkward.

Suddenly, Cascada slipped her arms around the sword wielding warrior's waist, leaning her head against his shoulder, eyes closed. He responded by wrapping his arms around her. No words were spoken. Sometimes, a simple gesture was enough to reassure a person. Sometimes, a simple gesture was enough, more than words could ever say but as Cascada stayed in the warm embrace of her love she realized something; they needed to talk. Though the plant A.I. knew this, as it was known, she wasn't the most open person when it came to voicing her emotions vocally. She wasn't the A.I. of sound like her sister who would say whether or not she was happy, mad, sad, etc. It also didn't make it easier that both she and William had such dominating personalities, neither willing to back down.

She sighed, burying her head into his shoulder, wishing that she were more open, but that wasn't in her nature and she didn't even know why…

* * *

Musa and a disgruntled Odd walked down the stairs just before William and a limping Cascada followed. Once they made it down, they found the others sitting on a couch with three large metal suitcases before them.

"Is that the stuff?" William asked as he placed Cascada gently in a seat.

"Yeah. Lucas was even nice enough to give us multiples of all the parts that we needed," Yumi explained.

"Well it wasn't like I was going to use any of that stuff," Lucas shrugged. "My dad was the scientist. Not me. I hope you guys know what you're doing because once you use these parts up it'll be pretty hard to find some more."

"Don't worry," Jeremy said. "We know what we're doing." _"I hope," _he thought.

Cascada yawned, stretching her arms up and letting her shirt rise up some. From the exposed skin, one could see part of a tattoo.

"So," Ulrich said, interest finally peaking, "when did you two get those?" he asked Musa and Cascada.

"Get what?" both girls questioned confused, simultaneously.

"Those tattoos," Ulrich pointed out.

"Oh," Musa said softly. "They're not tattoos."

"They're identification markings," Cascada said raising up her shirt just enough to expose the full tattoo. It was a tilted Xana's eye.

"Why do you have Xana's symbol tattooed on you?" Odd asked as Musa showed hers.

"Though you guys know it as Xana's symbol," the plant A.I. said letting go of her shirt, "It was actually the symbol of Project Carthage. Every thing that was made by the project had one of these identification markings on them." Cascada chuckled dryly. "You can almost say we were branded like cows."

"Hey," Aelita said biting her lip. "I remember you guys said something weird when you guys were introducing yourselves. Something about scout program and hacker program."

"According to my father's report," Lucas said. "There were many artificial intelligence created. Half of them were unable to fulfill the task given to them. Half of the remaining half of them were unable to think for themselves when it came to sudden unexpected events. Now take about a third of that remaining group. That group was split into groups of three: two scout programs and a hacker program."

"Since the project was a militarily program made to disrupt foreign enemy technology," Cascada began, "our main goal was to get into the enemy's program and mess it up. The duty of the two scout programs were to go in first, getting rid of any of the firewalls and other protection programs that could interfere. Once it was cleared, the hacker program came in and disrupted the technology to however the head of the department saw fit. We were the ultimate virus."

"The only thing that could stand a chance of defeating us were more of our kind," Musa said before frowning and looking down, "though we didn't actually know there were more. We believed that we were the only three to have survived the elimination process."

"But tonight proved you wrong," Lucas said, with a serious expression on his face before lightening up. "But less talk about that stuff. Is there anything else I can help you guys with?"

No one could think of anything except for Jeremy. "There is one thing," the computer whiz said. "Our school's trip was sponsored this year, a feat within itself. Our sponsor was _Lycoris Incorporated, _the CEO being Emeric McArnald," Jeremy said casually as if talking about the weather. "A relation to you?"

Lucas leaned back in his chair, eyes closed. "Supposedly, he's my brother, according to the files. The _supposed _hidden prodigy child of George McArnald, the _supposed _bastard son of one of my father's mistresses, but that's supposedly speaking."

"I'm getting that he's not related to you," Odd said, head slightly feeling better with the pain killers he had been given.

McArnald shrugged. "Depends on who you ask and where you look. According to my father's will, which he revised strangely a few days before his death, yes, Emeric is, but if you look in the government's file and tried to find anything on him before a few fifteen years ago, you'll basically find nothing. I myself don't really know that much about him. I've only met him once and it was in passing at my father's funeral, such a long time ago."

"So you have nothing on him?" Aelita asked.

"Not really, but I do know this," the financial income for the company has been rising ever sinceEmeric inherited it. During my father's rule over the company, it was one of the biggest robotics engineering facilities in the world. Now, no one, not even the company's own employees know exactly what it produces."

"That doesn't seem possible," Cascada frowned. "If _Lycoris Inc. _seems as big as it sounds then there would have to be many employees and if there were many employees that would mean that they would have to know what they were working on in order not to cause an uprising.

"Actually, much of the company is computer ran," Lucas informed, "only twenty, maybe thirty, people are needed to run it smoothly, most of them stock brokers, but that's basically all I know. Everything I learned I learnt from the journals my father left behind."

"May we take a look at them?" Jeremy asked hopefully.

"I destroyed them all," the red hair man said flatly. "The information in them could be disastrous in the wrong hands, but I'm sure you realized that after being attacked."

"Sun's starting to come up," William observed. "We need to get back to the hotel before Jim wakes up."

"You're right," Musa nodded getting up before giving another slight bow to Lucas. "Thank you again for all your help."

"No problem. I love helping out lovely women," he said with a provocative smirk before turning to Aelita. "Say "hi" to your parents for me, kay?"

"Sure," Aelita smiled as she and the others got up and walked towards the exit.

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Cascada asked.

"Why? Want to spend the night with me, hon?" he grinned.

"Easy Bub," the plant A.I. smirked. "You know I can easily amputate your "_little friend" _before you even knew what was coming."

"So violent," Lucas faked disappointed. "Don't worry. This house is full with little gadgets the old man left. The last few years of his life he became paranoid. I'll even promise you this," he said placing his hand over his heart. "I, Lucas McArnald, will not die at the hands of an artificial intelligence. Happy?"

"Whatever," Cascada said rolling her eyes. "Let's get going guys," she said walking out with the support of William and soon the rest followed after saying their goodbyes, leaving the red hair man alone in his mansion.

He had long ago gotten rid of his maids and cooks and now lived in the spacious mansion by himself. He walked over to the kitchen, opening a connecting door that was inside it, leading to a room filled with various kinds of alcohol. He took a few bottles of his strongest liquor and sat at a chair at the kitchen's table. He opened the bottle, wincing slightly as he drowned the first bottle before opening the next.

"I thought by now you knew you didn't make a very pretty drunk," a gruff voice said behind him.

"I wasn't expecting you here," Lucas said as he opened another bottle, not even looking over his shoulder to further acknowledge his guest.

"I was in the neighborhood. Thought I stop by but then I saw you had guests and didn't want to intrude."

"Really?" Lucas said not sounding shocked. "Can you pass me that pen and paper over there?" he asked. A few moments later he found paper and pen being placed in his hand.

"So, what do you think of them?" the voice asked as the male began to write something on the paper before folding it and placing it on the other side of the table.

"They're all very unique in their own way. Would have never guessed them to be kids though. Guess it just proved what kind of world we're living in," Lucas shrugged before taking another gulp of liquor. He could feel his mind become hazy as his body felt numb and slightly heavy. It was beginning to become hard to form complete sentences.

"And what kind of world are we living in?"

"The kind where kids are forced to grow up fast and become adults when they should just be goofing around and worrying about crap like school and who the hell they're going to ask to the prom," Lucas said closing his eyes. "_She_ seems so… different. It's hard to believe that she's the same person."

"It is, but maybe it's for the best," the voice said. "It would be difficult otherwise if any of them remembered."

"I feel bad for little Aelita though," Lucas said yawning. "She doesn't even know about her parents, about her father."

"She'll have to deal with the truth just like everyone else."

"All that glisters is not gold…" McArnald chuckled drunkenly. "Do you know why I named my club _Catocala Lacrymosa?_"

"You were drunk and lost a bet?"

"No," Lucas said shaking his head as he reached a hand into his pocket. "I named it _Catocala Lacrymosa _or _Tearful Underwing _because it reminded me of all of man's hope and wishes for the future, the same wishes that want to make the world a better place for everyone that eventually backfire and cause more harm than good."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"Then what is the road to heaven paved with? Deceit? Pain?" Lucas asked pulling out his hand revealing a pistol.

"What are you doing?" the voice asked. No fear or worry was laced in the person's tone, only slight empathy.

"Man has forever been trying to reach the stars, to get one step closer to the land of milk and honey that they call "Heaven", to be one step closer to being God, to control their own destiny. I wonder, if there really is some sort of Supreme Being up there, then why is he letting all this shit happen to the world? How much of a man's destiny is his to control and how much can he not? Has every action we've done been predicted before it even happen?" he asked raising his gun holding hand to his temple. "And are the things that man created under the jurisdiction of man or God?" Lucas chuckled sadly as tears streamed down his cheeks but his voice had never been so clear before. "I sound like some kind of philosopher."

"A philosopher wouldn't be using words like "crap" in his philosophy," the voice replied after a while.

"You know how I hate staying in the lines," the red headed man said closing his eyes. "Well, I guess I'll have to see for myself. It'll probably be hot where I'm going, but I hear they have a lot of bad girls down there," he grinned. "You know how I like them naughty and misbehaved," he said laughing at his own crude joke. He sighed, his face becoming emotionless again. "I wonder if I'll see my old man. I guess I can finally say I can be dependable. I gave them a promise. I wouldn't die by an A.I." he said before pressing the trigger. A thunderous boom that wouldn't be heard except for the two occupants of the room was sounded and then crimson life flowed from the now empty earthly container.

* * *

"_I never knew so young a body with so old a head," –__**The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (Letter-4.1.164-165)**_

* * *

LOL! I had a Shakespeare momment during this chapter. Probably because I just got done reading the Merchant of Venice and watching it on t.v. Though Shakerspeare may be hard to understand at first it's definently worth it when you get the hang of it.

Anyway, I want to apologize if Lucas's little rant was somehow offending to anyone. I wasn't planning on having all that in it. I guess some questions that I had about the world just made themselves known here.

Damn, how emo can I get? I finally killed off a character for good. He will not be coming back but I doubt any of you are really dissapointed by his death. He was only in two, maybe three, chapters. Though it may seem pointless now, his death had a purpose...I think... Anyway, I think I really like this chapter, especially the end. Anyway, things will lighten up slightly next chapter.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**


	19. With Every Moment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko, Linkin Park, or any of HoboLovers characters. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other character that isn't part of the previously mentioned.**

**_Special thanks to xanadead for the skiing info._**

**With Every Moment of Peace, There Are Those of Pain**

Soft snores were sounded through out the main room of the girls' suite as eight sleepy teenagers slept off the remaining night and some of the morning. Actually, make those seven sleepy teens since one plant A.I. was already awake with the morning sun.Cascada's eyes roamed across the dimly lit room, trying to distinguish which entangled limbs belonged to her and which belonged to one of her friends.

After stopping by the old cabin to revert to their normal forms, the Lyoko gang had all completely fell out right in the middle of the room. It was a miracle that some of them had even made it to the couch or one of the big comfy chairs. Odd and Musa, on the other hand, were the unlucky two whom collapsed right in the middle of the floor, out cold. Sometime during the remaining night or early morning, Cascada noted, someone must have seen them all out there and covered them all in blankets. "_Probably Sitara," _the plant A.I. thought as she slowly pried William off of her. "_At least he's finally getting some sleep."_

Once the task of removing the surprisingly heavy sword wielding warrior was over, Hikaru found herself stepping delicately through entanglements of the others sleeping limbs. Once she was free, from the sleeping version of twister, she looked back at her friends, a small barely noticeable but still there smile on her face. _"My family," _she thought fondly. After staring silently for awhile, she noticed that none of them had changed out of the cloths that they had been wearing last night before the tansformation. Wanting to get the questionably clothing that she had borrowed from Lucas off, Cascada headed towards the bathroom. Thankful that the scanner was able to fix her sprang ankle otherwise she would have woken up half the hotel by now.

She silently closed the door, making sure it was locked just in case. The strawberry blonde turned on the shower, letting the room get nice and steamy before stepping in. Once she was done, she stepped out, wrapping herself in one of the hotel's soft and fluffy towels.

The girl wiped the fogged up mirror with the heel of her hand before leaning in, pushing locks of damp strawberry blonde hair off to the side. She stared at her forest green eyes, trying to look for something but sighed frustrated after a few moments when she found nothing. "What the hell was Odd talking about?" she muttered to herself before leaving the bathroom and walking to her room to get dressed.

Once that was done, Cascada found herself bored. It was still early and none of the others had awoken from their deep sleeps. Her hands twitching with the need to do something so she walked towards the kitchen. She was surprised when she found stuff like milk, eggs, and other stuff in the fridge but none the less, it gave her an idea of something she could do.

Taking out the needed supplies, the plant A.I. opted to fix breakfast. She had never done this before nor had she any idea how to but she wanted to try. Prying Jeremy's laptop away from him, she turned it on looking up information on how to cook breakfast.

"It can't be that hard," she murmured to herself.

* * *

William stood in a black abyss, wondering where he was. He knew he was dreaming but that didn't bring him much comfort.

_**"Wouldn't you like to know**__," _a voice teased.

"Who said that?" the shaggy hair teen asked aloud. The voice sounded male though it was hard to tell where it was coming from.

_**"You should know by now Willy boy."**_ The boy scrunched up his brow. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't exactly place it. _**"Maybe I should give you a hint**__," _they said before something began to appear and form before him.

Dunbar narrowed his eyes. "You…"

* * *

Animals are known to have the best sense of smell so it was really no surprise when Odd and Musa were to first to be awoken by the smells coming from the kitchen. The two awoke and stumbled into the kitchen both shocked awake when they saw Cascada cooking. The end of the world was near.

"Hey," the plant A.I. greeted as she flitted from one side of the kitchen to the other.

"Ugh…hi?" the two younger teens said still not believing their eyes.

"We really didn't get to have dinner last night so I thought I could fix breakfast," Hikaru said over her shoulder by the stove.

"Do you even know how?" Odd asked as he took a seat at the table. He was answered with a glare over the shoulder by Cascada that immediatly shut him up.

"Well, it smells good," Musa said truthfully.

Soon the smell of cooking breakfast awoke the others and they all came shuffling into the kitchen surprised when they found the strawberry blonde making breakfast. They were soon joined by Sitara who, though still sleepy looking, had a look of absolute happiness on her face for whatever unknown reason. She smiled, waving to everyone as she took an empty seat next to Musa.

"Well here it is," Cascada said carrying several plates on her arm, briefly looking like a waittress as she sat a plate of delicious looking food in front of them. Once she had given everyone one, she sat down in her seat with her own plate before her, sitting between Yumi and William. She was about to take a bite of her food when she realized everyone but Sitara, who was looking around the table confused, wasn't eating. "What's wrong?"

"Is this…edible?" Jeremy asked looking at the perfectly fine eggs but looks can be deceiving.

"Are you questioning my cooking skills?" the plant A.I. asked, eye twitching angrily.

"Before today you didn't even know you had any cooking skills," Ulrich pointed out. "And I am so not going to be your guinea pig."

"Is that really the reason? Because I haven't cooked before or is it because of something else? I bet if Musa cooked it you guys wouldn't be questioning its edibility!"

"That's because we would already know how edible the food was," Jeremy said. "She has the same taste buds as Odd; the same Odd who thinks pizza with anchovies, marshmallows, and chocolate chips is delicious!"

"Hey," the eccentric blonde protested. "It _is _delicious."

"Well we all know my taste buds are far from theirs," Cascada said crossing her arms. "So why don't you all just stop complaining and eat the damn food before I shove it up your-"

"Sitara seems to like it," Yumi pointed out as the mute happily ate her breakfast. She looked up when she heard her name confused before giving Cascada thumbs up.

"HA!" the strawberry blonde shouted triumphantly. "She likes it!"

After seeing that the mute wasn't about to be poisoned by the food, the others hesitatingly took bites of their food before their eyes widened. "This is really good, Cascada," Aelita said while taking another bite.

"Yeah! Way to go sis!"

Musa cheered. The plant A.I. grinned triumphantly as she watched Jeremy take a bite. "It's not that bad, I guess," the boy murmured which was as good of a compliment as she was going to get at the moment.

Hikaru turned to William who hadn't spoken at all. He was pushing his food around his plate absentmindedly, his eyes looking far off and distant. "William?" Cascada asked placing a hand on his arm. The boy jumped looking around the room almost frantically before he realized where he was and relaxed.

"Did, did you say something?" he asked his girlfriend.

"I was about to ask you how you liked your food when you got that distant look in your eyes. Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, keeping her voice down so the others wouldn't over hear.

"I'm fine and the food is good," the boy said waving her off before shoving a forkful of eggs in his mouth ending the conversation. Cascada shook her head before returning to her breakfast. A few minutes later, Sissi walked in.

"Where did all this food come from?" she asked confused.

"Cascada cooked," Odd said after swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

"Oh," the principal's daughter said quietly.

Cascada got up from her seat and walked over towards the microwave where there was a plate of food before handing it to the unsuspecting girl. "Here, that's for you."

"Did you poison this?" Sissi asked in disbelief.

"It's too early for that stuff. Now just eat," Cascada said waving her off. Sissi for once, did as she was told and ate the food, surprised just as the others had been when she realized that it was really good.

The group continued to eat in silence until Musa's phone rang. She answered it looking surprised until she agreed to something before closing her phone. "That was Chris. He said that he wants to see us later."

"I was hoping we could finally go skiing," Yumi sighed.

"We still can," the wolf A.I. said. "He doesn't want to see us till around five o'clock and it's ten thirty right now so if we hurry up and go we can get a few hours in."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ulrich said getting up, the other boys doing the same.

"We're going to get our stuff. We'll meet you guys in the lobby," Odd said as the guys walked out.

"See ya," Aelita waved as Cascada cleared the table. She deposited all the dishes into the sink about to wash them when Sissi stopped her.

"I'll do them," the younger insisted which surprised the plant A.I. but she nonetheless shrugged before walking to her room to get ready.

It took the boys less than half an hour to get ready and to go down to the lobby. They saw a few of their classmates awake and going in and out from the hotel. Finally, Musa, Cascada, Yumi, Aelita, and Sitara came out towards the elevator dressed ready to go.

"So," Cascada asked as they walked towards the slopes. "Does anyone know how to ski or snowboard?"

"It's really simple," William said speaking after being quiet for so long. "If you want to go faster keep the skis straight, if you want to slow down make a wedge with them. If you want to stop you hop about 2 centimeters in the air and then turn, digging your edges into the snow."

Musa and Odd had confused looks on their faces. "We'll snowboard!" they said simultaneously before running off to rent some. William shook his head.

"I'll ski," Yumi said. "I think I still remember how to. What about you Ulrich?" she asked the brunette. The boy blushed, murmuring something. "What was that?" Yumi asked.

"I can't ski," the boy muttered a little louder.

"Then I'll teach you," the Japanese girl smiled. The boy nodded, grateful.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Jeremy said.

"Figures," Cascada scoffed.

"What's that suppose to mean?" the computer whiz asked.

"Nothing, honestly," the plant A.I. said innocently. "I'll think I'll snow board. What about you guys?" she asked looking towards Aelita, Sitara, and William.

"I'll stay with Jeremy," the pink hair girl said causing said boy to blush.

Sitara pretended to get into a skiing position saying that she wanted to ski and William shrugged. "I'll ski," he said.

"Then let's go get the stuff," Cascada said leading the way towards the rental area. They passed by Odd and Musa who had already gotten their boards; Odd's looking strikingly similar to the one he had on Lyoko and Musa had a dark blue one with lightning designs.

After everyone got all their stuff they got onto the ski lift, riding up to the intermediate's slope. Yumi and Sitara helped teach Ulrich the basics while Cascada, Musa, Odd, and William had a race down the hill. It was a tie between Musa and Cascada.

While the others were off skiing, Jeremy and Aelita were sitting in a nearby ski café drinking hot chocolate while the boy was on his laptop. "What are you doing?" Aelita asked.

"Now that we have the parts," Jeremy said not looking up from his laptop, "we can start working on the virtualization devices."

"How long will it take you?"

"Well, if I go straight to the cabin instead of going with you guys to meet Chris then I could get one done and get the others copied by the scanner by tomorrow."

"That's great!" Aelita said. "Are you going to ask Musa and Cascada for help?"

"I can do it myself," the blonde said a little bit harshly.

"Well I was just suggesting," the pink hair girl sounded slight offended.

"I know, I know, it's just, I want to do this by myself," the boy said softly. Aelita's eyes softened as she nodded, understanding.

* * *

"I'm tired."

"I'm tired too."

"Onii-san! Carry me!"

"You're too big."

"You're so mean!"

The Lyoko group and Sitara were returning from their ski and snowboarding activities. They were all tired as they made their way back to the hotel. "Man, we still have to see Chris," Odd groaned.

"We'll change and then head over to meet him," Yumi said.

"I'm going to the, you know," Jeremy said not explaining further since Sitara was there.

"I'll go too," Aelita said. "If Chris just wants to do another recording then you can just do one of the songs that don't need me to be there."

"Hai," Musa nodded before turning to Sitara. "Do you want to come with us? It's kind of boring but I don't want to leave you by yourself." Sitara nodded as they rode up the elevator to change.

Once everyone was done and Jeremy and Aelita had left, they headed towards the room they were in when they were recording earlier. When they got there, they saw Chris, Ken, and Ozzy waiting outside.

"Great. You're on time," Ken said looking over them. "Who's she?" she asked pointing to Sitara. "And where are Aelita and Jeremy?"

"This is Sitara, dad," Odd said. "She's our new friend and Aelita and Jeremy are both kind of sick so they're in their rooms," he lied.

"Well I guess that's what we get for pushing this last minute," Ozzy sighed adjusting his glasses.

"Pushing what exactly?" Cascada asked skeptically.

The three men looked at each other before turning back towards the kids. "Press conference."

_**Musa's P.O.V.**_

If the devil was human I bet he would take one of the forms of the three men who sealed my fate and forced me up here. "Kuso. I don't do so well with crowds," I whispered to Odd as we stared into the vicious and waiting to tear us to pieces faces of the press and media.

"We've performed before in front of people," Odd whispered back while waving enthusiastically at the crowd as the photographers took photos of us.

"Of course but our performances are like one sided conversations. Unless we stink horribly, you hardly even remember that the audience is even there other than the deaf rendering cheers. This on the other hand," I said gulping "is like your dad, Chris, and Ozzy sending us to the sharks in bloody water."

"I think I get the picture," Odd said cringing slightly at the mental image I had instilled in his head.

"Why were we only informed of this now?" Cascada asked next to me. The basic lineup of the table we were sitting at from the left was William, Cascada, an empty chair presumably for Terran, me, Odd, Ulrich, and then Yumi. Sitara was safely with Ken and Chris. Lucky girl. At least she'll come out of this in on piece.

"Ozzy said this was the only time he could get some of the top music channels here and that it's good for our publicity," William informed calmly though I know he would rather chew his arm off than be here. We all would.

"So…many…lights…" Ulrich murmured.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just bad stage experiences," Yumi said.

"Okay everyone," Ken said walking to the front of the raised platform we were sitting on and addressing the mass of people, "we'll begin the questioning and answering part of our program today followed by a performance."

"_WHAT THE HELL?" _I and probably the other members of the band thought judging by our reactions to that tad bit on news. We hadn't known anything about a performance!

"So," Chris said stepping up. "Who wants to begin?"

A small woman with black rimmed glasses and pixie like face with her hair pulled into a bun raised her hand as Chris nodded at her. "Yes, I'm Maxine Gales of _Euro-Remix. _I was told that Terran Yuki would be here but it appears he is not. Care to explain?"

"Terran Yuki has been getting over a cold but I assure you he is own his way as we speak," Ken said answering the woman's question. "Now, if you may, let all questions be directed towards the band," he said stepping off stage with Chris and leaving us to fend for ourselves. We were so dead.

Several reporters raised their hands at once, yelling for our attention. Odd was crazy enough to pick a tall wry looking man with bleached tipped spiky hair. "T.J. Carom from _Music Beat Magazine. _According to my sources you have played songs from anywhere from metal, to rock, to gothic, to j-pop. Is that right?"

"Yeah," Odd said about to say more before he was cut off by T.J.

"How do you plan to keep a specific listeners group with such a vast array of genres?" Odd was stomped and I could tell. Luckily, big sis Cascada came to save the day.

"That's the point," she said levelly. "We want a vast array of music, something that anyone can listen to and relate too. It'll not only make our style of music different compared to others, it'll open us to many different listeners." T.J. nodded writing this all down.

"I have a question, Tammy Clark from _What's Happening Trans-Euro Online Magazine_" a cherry red died hair woman said.

"Go for it," Cascada shrugged looking totally at ease. Oh how I wish I could have her totally indifferent personality sometimes.

"This is for the two _supposed _Japanese speakers of the group," Tammy said looking between me and Yumi. What the hell did she mean by "_supposed"? _"If I'm correct Yumi Ishiyama is of Japanese nationality while you," she said looking at me, "your nationalities are unknown. The only thing to give a hint of your nationality is your name but those can be easily changed."

"What are you saying?" I asked not liking where this was going.

"I'm just saying that it's kind of insulting and confusing to your future fans that you pretend to be of a certain nationality."

"So just because I speak another language which may not be my own I'm insulting someone?" I asked incredulously. "I really don't see that point of view. I'm doing nothing to insult the Japanese culture. Actually I have great respect for its art, food, music, and history. I don't feel like giving you more personal reasons but the Japanese culture is very close to my heart. I use the language because I can. I'm not trying to pretend to be something I'm not." Yumi smirked at me, telling me without words that I had said all the right things.

"Next?" William said.

The woman from earlier, Maxine Gales raised her hand. "If I'm correct to understand," she said looking at Odd, "your father is _the _Ken Della Robbia, a great artist in his time and now one of the biggest producers today." I could see Ken face palm himself from all the way across the room. That couldn't be good.

"Yeah," Odd said sounding slightly unsure. "He is my dad but-"

"Do you feel that the reason why your band is here is not because of your talent but because of your father's position?" I think what happened next surprised us all.

"You're an idiot for even thinking that." I'll just tell you now. That definitely wasn't Odd. Probably thinking Cascada? Nope. It was…

"Ulrich, what are you doing?" Odd whispered.

Stern didn't listen to him as he stared Maxine. "Odd is one of my best friends. He may be a goofball and idiot-"

"I think they get the point," Odd muttered.

"But he never takes the easy way out with something he cares about, his music included so you even insinuating that we got here merely because of his dad is an insult to him and I won't take it," Ulrich said staying true to his last name: Stern.

I held a new respect for the usually quiet but sarcastic member of the group though with the whole "I won't take it" part he made it sound like he and Odd were lovers or something. I'm really beginning to wonder…they are roommates…

"Oh! Oh! Pick me!" a blonde woman who had a hyper air around her shouted.

"Uh…sure?" I said as more of a question.

"Okay, so you are all young and probably thinking that these are the best years of your lives. Is there any romances happening in the group?"

"If you mean couples, then yeah," I said unsure if what I was saying would later cause us trouble.

"Great!" the woman smiled writing this down. "But what would happen to the band if the couples broke up? I could only guess that it would be pretty awkward."

"I supposed it would be," I said "uh, Ms…"

"Jessica Greene," the woman said.

"Yeah, Ms. Greene. It would be awkward but we're taking things as they come. If something like that ever does come up then we'll handle it together but I would hope that even if we did fight we wouldn't let it affect the music."

"On the matter of relationships," T.J. said sounding bored. "What is yours, Ms. Utada with Terran Yuki?"

"He's a really nice guy and we've decided to be friends but other than that I'm already taken," I said as Odd happily squeezed my knee under the safety of the table.

"Oh, really?" Tammy said. "Mind telling us with whom?"

"Is that all you really want to talk about?" a voice said from the audience as Terran made the crowd part for him like the Red Sea. He walked towards the platform we were on and took his seat next to mine all the while having his head turned in the general direction of where Tammy Clark was. If you didn't know that he was blind you would totally think that he was staring holes at the woman from behind his glasses. "Really," he said in a bored tone, "if those are the only questions you can think to ask than your little web page must be nothing more than a little gossip column."

It was amazing how he cut that culture criticizing woman down half a size. After that the question and answering part went smoothly. So smoothly that I actually became bored. It seemed that the only reason why three fourths of the people who were here was because of Terran. Apparently, he didn't make many public outings and any magazines would pay thousands to get a decent photo.

While Terran answered another question I stared at the people. My gaze soon fell upon Chris, Ken, Ozzy, and Sitara. Chris and Ken were looking somewhat exhausted though I don't know why. They weren't the ones being berated by a group of blood thirsty reporters. Ozzy was doing whatever while punching numbers into a calculator. Nerd. Sitara was more interesting to watch. For some reason she was blushing and hiding behind her bangs. Was it because of all the people? No. She wasn't looking like that earlier until…until Terran arrived. Suddenly, the memory of a broken Terran Yuki CD came to mind. _"She has a crush on him," _I thought. Things seemed to get so much more interesting.

_**End P.O.V.**_

"Okay," Ken said stepping back onto the platform, "the question and answering part of this program is over so to end it we'll have the band play one of their songs."

The present members of Evanescent Dreams and Terran Yuki walked over to where their instruments had been set up. "We'll do the song that we practiced at our last rehearsal," Terran said and surprisingly Odd agreed without a fight.

Musa sighed relieved. "_At least they're not arguing," _she thought as she slung her guitar over her shoulder before playing a guitar riff followed quickly by the others.

_**Terran:**_ _What do I do to ignore them behind me?  
Do I follow my instincts blindly?  
Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams?  
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?  
Do I sit here and try to stand it  
Or do I try to catch them red-handed?  
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness?  
Or do I trust none and live life in loneliness?_

"_It's like playing at a funeral_," Odd thought watching the melancholy expressions of the reporters.

_Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin  
I make the right moves, but I'm lost within  
I put on my daily facade, but then  
I just end up getting hurt again by myself,__**Odd:**__ Myself!_

_I ask why __**Odd: **__but in my mind, I find  
__**Terran: **__I can't rely on myself, __**Odd: **__myself  
__**Terran: **__I ask why __**Odd: **__but in my mind, I find  
__**Terran: **__I can't rely on myself_

_**Odd: **__I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to what I want when I'm stretched so thin  
__**Odd: **__It's all too much to take in  
__**Odd: **__I can't hold on __**Terran:**__ to anything, watching everything spin  
__**Odd: **__With thoughts of failure sinking in_

Sitara couldn't believe it. Here he was Terran Yuki. She had always wanted to see him but the few shows he ever performed lived at were sold out in a matter of minutes. Yet, here she was, her friends playing in a band with him. It was so unimaginable.

"Enjoying the show, little lady?" Ken asked smiling as the girl nodded enthusiastically making her curly hair bounce up and down on her shoulders. "Well that's one person," he sighed turning back towards the band.

_**Terran: **__If I turn my back, I'm defenseless  
And to go blindly seems senseless  
If I hide my pride and let it all go on  
Then they'll take from me until everything is gone  
If I let them go, I'll be outdone  
But if I try to catch them, I'll be outrun  
If I'm killed by the questions like a cancer  
Then I'll be buried in the silence of the answer by myself, __**Odd: **__myself  
I ask why __**Odd: **__but in my mind, I find  
__**Terran: **__I can't rely on myself, __**Odd: **__myself  
__**Terran: **__I ask why __**Odd:**__ but in my mind, I find  
__**Terran: **__I can't rely on myself_

_**Odd: **__I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to what I want when I'm stretched so thin  
__**Odd: **__It's all too much to take in  
I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to anything, watching everything spin  
__**Odd: **__With thoughts of failure sinking in_

_**Terran: **__How do you think,_

Her body hurt. All of their bodies hurt.

_I've lost so much?_

_"_This is really disappointing, coming from my best general and three of my most praised assassins," their leader sighed in disappointment as he watched his subordinates wither on the floor in pain. "What do you have to say?" None responded. They couldn't.

_I'm so afraid,_

Three of the four girls laid on the floor together, the fourth further away. While still biting their lips to stop themselves from screaming in pain, since that would only make things worst, the three's hands twitched slightly, moving.

_I'm out of touch_

Their hands connected, squeezing each others with every shock of pain. The pain hurt but it was bearable as long as they were together.

_How do you expect__,_

Esen looked at the three with jealousy in her eyes as she lay by herself with no one to comfort her. "_Why?" _she thought. "_Why does everyone else have what I want?"_

_I will know what to do?_

"Really," their leader sighed, "do you really think that I like punishing you?"

"Hell yeah, you bastard," one of the three girls groaned out.

"I'm glad I've haven't been labeled as soft then," the leader chuckled before sending out another wave of pain.

_When all I know is what you tell me to__!_

_Don't you __**Odd: **__know?  
__**Terran: **__I can't tell you how to make it __**Odd: **__go  
__**Terran: **__No matter what I do, how hard I __**Odd: **__try  
__**Terran: **__I can't seem to convince myself __**Odd: **__why  
__**Terran: **__I'm stuck on the outside_

Ozzy grimaced slightly as he felt a migraine coming on. There was only so much banging and screaming he could handle. Whatever made him join the music business? His gaze settled back on the band. That was right…

_Don't you __**Odd: **__know?  
__**Terran: **__I can't tell you how to make it __**Odd: **__go  
__**Terran: **__No matter what I do, how hard I __**Odd: **__try  
__**Terran: **__I can't seem to convince myself __**Odd: **__why  
__**Terran: **__I'm stuck on the outside_

_**Odd: **__I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to what I want when I'm stretched so thin  
__**Odd: **__It's all too much to take in  
I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to anything, watching everything spin  
__**Odd: **__With thoughts of failure sinking in_

_**Odd: **__I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to what I want when I'm stretched so thin  
__**Odd: **__It's all too much to take in  
I can't hold on __**Terran: **__to anything, watching everything spin  
__**Odd: **__With thoughts of failure sinking in_

The band ended and was surprised when they found their entire audience of shark like reporters clapping enthusiastically.

"That's a good sign I guess," Yumi murmured. Soon Ken called the program to an end and the reporters filed out though some were a little resistant about leaving and had to be forced out by security. Once the reporters were gone, Odd turned to Terran.

"Hey," he said sounding unsure. "Look I just want to, you know, apologize about what I said at our last rehearsal. It must be kind of hard for you being blind and all but the way you carry yourself it's kind of hard to believe," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Whoever told you I was blind?" the white hair boy asked with the same emotionless tone he had used with the reporters.

"You did Terran-kun," Musa answered. "Don't you remember?"

"No and I would prefer it, Ms. Utada if you refrain from using –kun at the end of my name. If I'm correct, it's a term used for close acquaintances such as friends and we are not such."

"But I thought-" the girl began before she was cut off by an angry Odd.

"Hey! You don't have to be such a jerk though I don't know why anyone would want to be friends with you. We were only trying to be nice," the cat warrior growled defensively.

Yuki didn't respond as he turned around to leave, surprisingly bumping into Sitara. The girl crashed ungracefully to the floor from the force of impact. Terran seemed to stare down at her from behind his dark tinted glasses before continuing on and leaving the room.

"Odd's right," William said helping the fallen girl up. "He is a jerk."

"You okay?" Cascada asked the mute but found the girl staring at the boy leaving. The plant A.I. could have sworn she saw something in the girl's eyes; something akin to sadness and pity. Before any of the others could ask whether the girl was hurt, she took off, running out the doors that Terran Yuki had just walked out.

_**In Hotel's Lobby**_

She breathed heavily looking around the crowded room. It was no use he had already left. The mute girl sighed disappointedly as she plopped down on one of the big comfy chairs of the lobby. She was startled when one of the hotel's employees walked over to her.

"Are you Ms. Sitara Deangelo?" the man asked. The girl nodded. "A young man wearing a red scarf asked me to give you this," he said before he handed over a crudely wrapped package and then walking away.

Curious, the girl wasted no time in opening it. She was surprised, to say the least when she found a new copy of the Terran Yuki CD that Musa had broken a while ago. A note was taped to the back, written in hurried messy writing. "_Thank You," _was all it said but it meant so much to her.

"Sitara!" she heard Musa yell worriedly as she and the others ran towards her. "Why did you run? Are you okay?" the wolf A.I. asked worriedly. The mute nodded, tucking the CD away in one of her coat pockets without the others seeing it. "Well, okay," Utada said not sure whether or not to believe the girl but decided she had no other choice but too.

"So now that that press conference from hell is over," Ulrich said, "what do you guys want to do?"

"Let's go back upstairs," Odd suggested. "I'm tired. We can just hang out up there."

"Sounds like a plan," Ulrich shrugged. They took the elevator up to the boys' room where they found Aelita and Jeremy cuddling on the couch.

"Aw! So kawaii! Anybody have a camera?" Musa grinned as the two computer nerds of the group pulled apart with blushes on their faces.

"So you guys are done?" Cascada asked.

"No," Jeremy said rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Aelita made me take a break," he said before looking closely at his friends, "but I think you guys are the ones who look like they need a break. What happened?"

"Press conference from hell," Cascada sighed as she and the others took their spots on the couch or the floor by the T.V.

"Let's see what's on," Odd said using the remote to turn the T.V. on. Most of the channels were ones where you had to order from the hotel. As they flipped through the channels Aelita made him stop.

"Hey look," she said as Odd turned back to the channel which showed news.

"_Lycoris Incorporated, _one of the world's leading multi-manufacturing companies, will be having its first charitable fund raising party since the death of its former CEO, George McArnald," the anchorwoman said. "The event is expected to bring in ambassadors from many different cultures as clients and it is to be a big hit. To be performing at the event are new comers Evanescent Dream, a band led by Musa Utada and the son of music producer Ken Della Robbia, Odd Della Robbia. The band is also joined by Terran Yuki, an over night sensation. In other news…."

"Did anybody else notice that they only said Odd's and Musa's names?" Jeremy asked.

"What's up with that?" Ulrich asked.

"It wasn't like they had anything to do with that," Aelita said defending her "cousin" and her sister. "Besides, they do the most work out of anyone here."

"Guys," William said. "You may want to see this," he said pointing to the screen.

"Last night," the same anchorwoman continued, "Lucas McArnald, son of the late George McArnald, founder of _Lycoris Incorporated, _was found dead in his kitchen by one of his cleaning maids. Police are investigating the scene right now and all they found was a letter say this: '_I kept my promise, hon. I beat them to it. You already have everything you need. I have faith in you.' _Crime investigators are trying to decipher the message for any hidden message and to see if they can come into contact with anyone who may have seen McArnald before his death. At this moment, this case is being labeled as a suicide unless police can find anything that could state the contrary. Mike, back to you."

Sitara looked confused as she watched her friends all wear melancholy expressions. Did they know this Lucas? Surprisingly, Musa and Cascada were the only ones who didn't look affected.

"Well," Musa sighed, "who wants to watch a movie?"

"How can you be like that after, you know?" Yumi asked.

"Be like what?" Cascada asked.

"Aren't you feeling sad?" William asked.

"About what?" the wolf A.I. asked, a confused look on her face.

"About Lucas's death," Aelita said.

"Should we be?" the two A.I.'s asked and their friends noticed that the two were truly confused.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Jeremy asked Sitara. The girl seemingly understood that they needed to be alone and went to the kitchen once she was out of distance, Jeremy continued. "Do you two…understand death?"

"It's like being deleted, right?" Utada asked.

"Yeah, like falling into the digital sea," Odd explained.

"Then what's the big deal?" Cascada asked. "If he's just deleted then can't someone just undelete him by finding his digital code and reprogramming it back into the database?"

"Cas," William said. "When someone dies, they don't come back." The room was silent as realization slowly dawned on the two artificial beings. It seemed they still had a lot to learn about Earth.

* * *

Dunbar sighed as he entered his room. Lucas's death had totally ruined everyone's mood. It was also hard to believe that Musa and Cascada didn't understand death. "_But I guess that's to be expected. They've only lived on Earth for a year," _he thought.

"_**Oh how wrong you are. They know more about death than you may think."**_

_"Shut up," _the shaggy hair teen growled mentally.

_**"You know I won't and you can't get rid of me, not until I say so."**_

_"Why do you have to be so annoying?"_

_**"Why don't you just listen to me?"**_

William breathed in deeply, leaning on his dresser. He looked up at the mirror that was attached to it. "_Because I'm not you!"_

Staring back at him wasn't William's reflection. Instead, it was someone similar looking yet very different. _**"Deny it all you want, but you are me."**_

_"I am me! Not you, Leon."_

* * *

So this chapter was slightly lighter than last but it still had its element of darkness to it. I think this may be my longest chapter for this story yet. It would have been longer but sometimes when I begin to write too much my writing begins to seem crappy so I decided to stop but much was revealed in this chapter!

Terran was so cold in this chapter, well, colder. I feel sorry for him though you guys may not since according to my poll alot of you guys who voted said he was going to die... Did anyone else think it was out of character for Cascada to make breakfast? If you did, give yourself a pat on the back! You'll know why as the story goes on.

Um...nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!!_**

* * *


	20. Getting Back in the Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko, Evanescence, or any of HoboLover's characters. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and anything else that wasn't in the previously mentioned.**

**Getting Back in the Game**

Terran Yuki walked the barren, silent, and unwelcoming halls of his home. Though the outside of the home and the living room were finely decorated it was only for show. Any other rooms only contained the essentials. As he made it to the room that was deemed his, he stepped in, his eyes sweeping the room instantly for anything out of the ordinary. Once the white hair boy had reckoned that everything was as it should be he quickly walked over to his bed, kneeling next to it. Moving the sheets aside, he ducked under the bed, moving away the carefully placed pile of clutter off to the side before lifting up a piece of the floor.

The space underneath contained a silver case. Gently lifting the case from the floor, Terran crawled back from underneath his bed, setting the case on it before walking back to the door and locking it with the expensive hi-tech lock he had designed himself.

Turning back to his bed, he opened the case revealing rows and rows of DVD's with dates on them. Picking the most recent one, he put it into the portable DVD player that was held inside the case.

"Let's see what things I've forgotten this time," he murmured to himself as he began to watch.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**22 Years Ago**_

_You know you're not the only one_

She stood silently letting her nurse dress her. The woman wore no expression on her face which was regulation. She raised her arm as the mandatory white dress was forced over her head. She turned her head to the side to see two mirror images of herself being dressed by two different women, respectively. They turned to face her, each baring their own bored but slightly apprehensive expressions as they were treated like porcelain dolls… or like bombs waiting to blow up.

_When they all come crashing down- midflight  
You know you're not the only one_

They were taught math all the way up to advance calculus, reading including a series of foreign languages, and geography. Their days blurred together in an endless cycle. None of them could remember their lives outside of these walls or even if they had lives. All they knew were the white walls, the emotionless people that made up their prison, and each other.

They couldn't remember who they had been before and they didn't even know who they were now, but at least, what they did know was that they were human, though sometimes they may not have been treated like humans, they knew that they were. That was what they were holding onto. The last thing that they _could _hold onto here.

_When they're so alone they find a back door out of life  
You know you're not the only one_

The three mirror images looked up simultaneously as the door to their white and dull "play room" was opened. A man with blonde turning gray hair and brown eyes wearing a white lab coat stepped into the room. "Children, please follow me," he said.

With one quick glance at each other, the three girls got up, walking towards the man while also grabbing each other's hands. Though the man, Professor Gershwin, found their constant need to be together strange, he merely put it off as an effect of the three not coming into any other contact with any emotional expressing person coupled with the fact that they were identical triplets.

The girls silently followed him, surrounded by guards as he led them down a hallway. All three girls found it strange that they were going in a totally different direction then where they usually went.

The group stopped in front of a large set of doors guarded by two guards. Just as they were about to step in the doors opened to reveal two scientist rolling out a cart covered on top with a tarp.

_We're all grieving_

One of the girls leaned forward slightly to see what they were wheeling out, curiosity getting the best of her.

_Lost and bleeding_

The girl gasped as a limp hand fell from beneath the coverage of the tarp but before she could see more she was pushed inside the doors by one of the guards. She had thought the hand, which obviously looked like it was that of a corpse, had been surprising, what she saw in the room was what nightmares were made of.

_All our lives  
We've been waiting  
For someone to call our leader  
But all your lies  
I'm not believing  
Heaven shine a light down on me_

The room was filled with large machines making horrendous sounds. Men and women in white lab coats filtered throughout the room either writing things down on clipboards or typing furiously at super complex looking computers. Rows of what appeared to be operating tables sat underneath a huge machine with spider like claws, each going down to one of the tables below and connecting to thin hanging metal like pieces.

_So afraid to open your eyes- hypnotized  
You know you're not the only one_

"What is that thing?" the youngest of the triplets whispered pointing towards the menacing looking machine.

"I don't know," the middle sister said.

"Who are they?" the oldest asked. The other two looked to where she was looking at, surprised at what they saw.

_Never understood this life  
And you're right, I don't deserve  
But you know I'm not the only one_

Four children led by a glass wearing man entered the room. It was so strange seeing other children after such a long time of isolation from those of their age. It was something unexpected. How long had then been here, the triplets wondered.

_We're all grieving  
Lost and bleeding_

One of the four children, a young girl with raven hair clung timidly behind the slightly taller frame of a dark hair boy with another blonde girl next to him. A red headed little boy followed wearily behind them.

For a second the raven hair girl's glance fell on the triplets a look of wonder and confusion entered her eyes before one of the guards that were escorting the four grabbed her, eliciting a scream of fear from the girl as she struggled in the man's grasps. The dark hair boy tried to fight against the girl's captor and he was actually doing a good job until one of the scientist snuck behind him, injecting a needle into the boy's neck that immediately made him collapse. The blonde screamed while the red haired boy watched, unmoving.

The triplets watched in fear and horror as all four were put onto the tables, strapped down with the metal pieces of the machines above attached to their heads.

_All our lives  
We've been waiting  
For someone to call our leader  
But all your lies  
I'm not believing  
Heaven shine a light down on me_

None of the three girls saw the guards sneaking up behind them until they were lifted up form the ground and carried off to the tables. They screamed, struggling, never been handled this way by the people of this facility. Within minutes, despite their struggling, they were strapped securely to the table. The metal pieces were attached to their heads just like the other children.

_Don't look down  
Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you_

The youngest triplet turned her head slightly to look at the other four children in the room. Their backs were arched as if trying to break free from their binds. Their faces held unimaginable pain, so much that they couldn't even cry out. Waves of visible electricity washed over them, each child's a different color.

"Are the AI's in their towers?" the voice of Mr. Gershwin asked.

"Yes, sir. They're under stasis," a nameless scientist said.

"Good, start the transfer of projects Earth, Flame, and Snow," Gershwin said.

The youngest triplet looked over towards her sisters, each bearing the same scared look as the other. Computer screens were sat next to each table and from her angle, the youngest could just see an image of a floating girl in a green outfit. She appeared to be asleep but the youngest knew that looks could be deceiving.

"Begin," Gershwin said just before the machine above began.

_Don't look down  
You'll fall down  
You'll become their sacrifice_

The three girls were soon in the same pained position as the other four children next to them. Searing heat ran through them and their minds felt as if being opened as something was forced inside of them.

_**"Let me in…let me take the pain away…" **_a voice seemed to say from within the youngest.

The floating girl on the screen eyes were now open, and though her body seemed to be getting transparent with every second she still stared at the girl screaming on the table, wondering how it felt when you were in pain but she knew that she would soon figure that out.

_Right or wrong  
Can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you_

Two of the guards and one of the nurses that were present cringed at the sight before them. "_How could children be treated like this?" _they all thought. They washed as the scientist toyed around with their machines messing with the lives of innocent young souls. They all wanted to speak out but couldn't. That would ruin everything. Instead, they looked at the glasses wearing scientist that briefly looked back at them, nodding his head slightly before turning back towards the children.

Not now but later, they would help these children later.

_If I can't feel, I'm not mine  
I'm not real_

Professor Gershwin watched as the process continued, scribbling down notes. "Is everything going as planned?" a voice asked behind him.

"Yes sir. The children's bodies seem more willing to adapt to the change they're being forced through then the older subjects. I suspect an eighty percent chance of survival, Professor McArnald," Gershwin replied.

"That's better than before," the man murmured. "If this batch does survive move them on to the next phase.

"Yes, sir," Gershwin said before McArnald left. "_I'm really sorry kids," _he thought with regret though his outward appearance showed any emotion at all.

"Professor Gershwin! Their heartbeats have stopped!" one of the scientist watching the monitors of the three girls said.

"No," Gershwin said as he stared at the glowing red, light blue, and pale green eyes that were staring back at him. "Their heartbeats have stopped showing because that machine is designed to detect human heart pulses," he said aloud before thinking to himself, "_and they are no longer human…"_

_**Present**_

_All our lives  
We've been waiting  
For someone to call our leader  
But all your lies  
I'm not believing  
Heaven shine a light down on me_

The music stopped and a tired but accomplished feeling Musa grinned. "That was great guys and that was only the second try!"

"Well when we're good, we're good," Odd said with a mischievous smirk causing everyone to roll their eyes.

The Lyoko gang was on top of a newly built platform set up in the hotel's ball room where the party for _Lycoris Incorporated _was going to be held. The band had been practicing none stopped since Chris, Ozzy, and Ken officially announced at the last minute that they were to play at the event only three days away. But according to the three men, the party itself had been announced last minute and if it wasn't for the fact that _Lycoris Incorporated _was a very well known and famous company the hotel probably wouldn't even have been hosting it. To make things slightly more hectic, the party was masked ball meaning that costumes were needed which the Lyoko gang were lacking.

"I don't think I can feel my fingers anymore," Ulrich groaned tiredly as he continued tried to flex his fingers.

"We weren't playing for that long," Musa sighed shaking her head.

"Define long," Yumi muttered slumping down into a sitting position on the stage. Clapping was heard and the Lyoko gang turned their heads towards the hall's entrance to see Sitara with her three friends, Cassie, Brooke, and Zoey.

"Bravo!" Zoey cried, probably clapping the most enthusiastically.

"See!" Musa said pointing to the other group. "Don't reactions like that make the pain seem worth it?"

"You had to pick the music obsessed to be your girlfriend, didn't you?" Ulrich murmured to Odd.

"I heard that, Ulrich," the wolf A.I. said sticking out her tongue at the brunette before turning back to the mute and her friends. "So did you guys really like it?"

"Yeah, it was great," Cassie complimented.

"Wasn't bad," Brooke shrugged. Sitara nodded, agreeing.

"Thanks," Musa said happily.

"Are you guys going to be at the party?" Cascada asked.

"Sadly, even though we work our asses off for this hotel, we weren't able to get any tickets for the party," Brooke said. "They're too expensive."

"Well," the plant A.I. said casually, "we managed to get Sitara in and we're worried that she might be bored all by herself since we'll be on stage for half of the night, so…"

"So what?" Zoey asked not grasping what the girl was implying.

"So they have extra tickets to give to us!" Brooke said rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Hai," Musa nodded. "They were kind of peace offerings from Emeric McArnald since he hired us last minute."

Cascada, the most observant in the group, noticed the three hotel staffs slightly tense at the mention of the CEO.

"That is so kind of you," Cassie said.

William shrugged, looking utterly exhausted. "It was either you three or Sissi and her idiots."

"Is she the brat that had been messing with Tara?" Brooke asked cracking her knuckles.

"Yeah, but strangely she hasn't been a problem," Aelita said. "She's almost been…nice."

"I say Cascada put something in Sissi's breakfast yesterday," Odd whispered to Ulrich.

"Nope, sorry," the plant A.I. said butting the boys' heads together.

"Hey," Zoey said raising her hand.

"We're not in school anymore, dummy. Stop raising your hand," Brooke growled.

Fortunately, the rose hair girl was used to her friend's slightly harsh words and ignored her. "Wasn't there another guy with you? You know, short, blonde, nerd with the potential to be a total hottie if he got some decent contacts and clothes." Everyone stared at the girl as if she had grown another head.

"Uh…if you're talking about Jeremy," Yumi said.

"Who's not a _'hottie'_, he's glued to his computer as usual," Cascada informed before turning to Aelita. "Hey, isn't it your duty as his girlfriend to pry him away from that thing. Even Musa and I don't spend that much time on the computer."

"Jeremy is working on…_the project. _He wants to make it perfect for us," the pink hair girl said softly. "He doesn't want to let us down. He doesn't want to be useless to us."

Sitara, Cassie, Brooke, and Zoey looked confused. They felt like they weren't clued in about something.

"Idiot," Hikaru sighed taking a seat in one of the chairs that had been set up around the room for the party. "He should know by now that that's impossible. Take note because I probably won't say this again but Four Eyes has smarts that old men have to work most of their lifetime to achieve. Even if Musa and I didn't arrive when we did, I'm sure that you all would have made it here on your own without us because of that nerd. So don't give me any crap that he said he wasn't good enough because he is and…it's and honor knowing him," she said softly hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

"Was that a compliment?" Musa asked shocked.

"It wasn't a compliment," the plant A.I. said quickly, "merely the truth. Anyone wants to try proving the contrary?" she asked coolly.

"Stop getting so offensive, onee-chan," Musa said casually waving off her sister before turning to her pink hair sister. "Next time Jeremy has any doubts about his position in the group just call us. We'll prove that he's an invaluable part of the group." The rest of the Lyoko group nodded, agreeing.

"Uh, I hate to ruin this heartfelt moment," Brooke said, "but it's dinner time."

"WHAT!" Odd said in shock as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I can't believe we spent the whole day practicing! And without lunch! How did I not notice?" he cried holding his stomach.

"Sometimes…sometimes love is more nourishing than food. At times your emotional fullness is enough to overpower your physical fatigue," Zoey said, a distant look in her eyes. Everyone looked at the girl, contemplating her words.

"Dummy," Brooke said crashing her fist down on top of the head. "When the hell did you start spurting philosophical crap?"

"Ow!" Zoey pouted. "That hurt, Brooke!"

"You're too soft headed," Brooke sighed.

"No I'm not! You are!"

"Do you even know what '_soft headed' _means?"

"Ugh…"

"Figures."

Musa watched the scene before her with amused shocked. She could tell that Brooke and Cassie were just friendly bantering, something she too did with the others of the Lyoko group, especially her sister. It showed how close knit they were. Utada looked at Cassie who was watching her friends with eyes filled with fondness. _"They must be really close," _she thought. Something caught her eye with the three though. This time, it wasn't the apparent love that they had for each other it was something that could be physically observed if you were paying attention. Brooke and Zoey, despite their energetic bantering were leaning against the wall for support. Cassie was also leaning some of her weight onto a slightly worried Sitara. All three girls looked tired though they hid it well. Utada thought this was strangely but merely struggled it off as an effect of working at an expensive hotel where some of the guest may not be so pleasant to deal with.

"Hey," Brooke said suddenly ending her bantering with Zoey. "Since it's almost dinner time do you want to eat with us? There's a small restaurant nearby that serves great food and we get discounts their since we work for the hotel. We'll pay for you guys."

"Free food? Awesome!" Odd cheered pumping his fist happily in the air.

"You're going to regret treating us to dinner," Ulrich sighed. "Odd has a bottomless stomach that can only be rivaled by Musa but at least she can control herself."

"Hey!" Odd said. "I can control myself!"

"You call eating ten servings of food control?" Yumi laughed along with a giggling Aelita.

The cat warrior pouted, crossing his arms like a child and turning away. "Don't be like that," he heard Musa say as she took his hand, entangling her fingers with his. He looked up to see her smiling at him. "They were only joking."

"Yeah but why am I always the butt of you guys' jokes?"

"To show that we care," Musa replied simply.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"And…done!"

Within the hidden lab of the decrepit cabin, Jeremy placed the final piece into the last device. He grinned proudly at his work despite the bags that began to form under his eyes. He yawned, taking of his glasses and laying his arm over his eyes.

"I can't believe it," he sighed. "I did it…all by…myself," he yawned before falling into a well deserved sleep. He was so deep in sleep that he didn't hear the wind chime like sounds as glittering scale like objects floated into the room, coming together to form a figure dressed in a white hooded cloak that hid everything but his eyes.

The figure silently walked towards where the boy was working, spotting the devices that he had created. "Impressive," the man murmured to himself. "He worked with much effort on these."

"They are quit impressive," a woman's voice said from behind him, "but wouldn't it have taken less work and time for him to just copy the bracelet that they found? A simple scanning should have told him any defects the device might posses."

"Sometimes…it's better for one to take the hard road to gain what they want to have and feel accomplished than taking the easy road and feeling unneeded."

"I see. Is this all we came here for?" the woman asked

"One moment," the hooded man said as he typed a few codes into the computer that was connected to the devices before taking a step back. "Okay."

"What did you do?"

"Just a few…modifications," the man said disappearing in a whirlwind of glittering scales with his companion just as the door to the lab hissed open.

"Jeremy!" The boy startled awake as he heard his name being called and he swiveled around in his chair to see Aelita standing on top of the steps with Cascada.

"Aelita. Cascada. Why are you two here?" the boy said sleepily.

"Even the big guy up there took a day off, Four Eyes," Cascada said hands on her hips.

"Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey invited us all out for dinner," Aelita informed.

"Sitara's friends?" Jeremy questioned.

"Yeah, so get your bum into gear before Odd and or Musa eats all the food," Cascada said,

"Right," the blonde male nodded getting up and walking towards the stairs before he remembered something. He scooped the stuff he had been working on into his hands.

"Are those…" Aelita gasped as the boy presented her a necklace with a pink gem hanging from its silver chain. He gave Cascada a gold bracelet with a green gem in the middle.

"Yep," the boy said proudly.

"Well, the design isn't horrible," Cascada said putting the bracelet on. "Good job, Jeremy."

The boy smiled at the older girl. "Thanks."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"That was delicious!" Odd exclaimed patting his full stomach as he, the rest of the Lyoko gang, Sitara, Cassie, Brooke and Zoey walked down the streetlight lit sidewalks back to the hotel.

"Glad someone's full," Brooke sighed. "My wallet on the other hand is empty," she said holding the black leather wallet upside down and shaking it to prove her point.

"Well they did warn us," Cassie chuckled.

Brooke groaned. "I just thought they were being sarcastic when they said he was a bottomless pit."

"So did you guys like the food?" Zoey asked skipping backwards.

"Hai," Musa nodded. "Arigatou!"

"Yeah, thanks," Odd grinned.

"No prob," Cassie smiled. "Any friend of Tara is a friend of ours."

"I wonder how William is doing," Ulrich said offhandedly.

"Yeah," he said he wasn't hungry so he didn't come," Yumi said.

"He's fine," Cascada said turning her face away. "_He has to be…"_

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**"Distancing yourself from the others will do you no good."**_

"Who asked you?" The shaggy hair teen leaned against the railing of his room's balcony. A soft breeze rustled his hair as he stared at nothing in particular.

_**"You did."**_

The boy looked down at the cup of water he was holding to see the image of smoke and stealth A.I., Leon.

"I don't think so," the boy replied a deep frown etched on his face.

_**"Ah, but you did," **_Leon said. _**"Your subconscious anyway."**_

"Stay out of my head! Gah! I'm going crazy."

The image of Leon sighed. _**"I thought you understood by now but I guess I have to repeat myself. I can't stay out of your head because I am you and right now you're listening to the last remaining computer byte that's left of me. That's the same thing that makes you my clone."**_

"You're supposed to be dead."

_**"And technically I am. This is just basically a recording of what I used to be implanted in your head to help you adjust better to situations the way I would."**_

"If that's true then why just now? Why not before when I first arrived on Earth?" William asked as he tipped the water over the side of the balcony before walking back into his room.

"_**Because," **_Leon's image said as it appeared in the mirror as the boy walked by it, _**"This little mental mechanism was designed to set off for when I was destroyed on Lyoko. When you arrived on Earth I was still being controlled by that virus, Xana, so therefore I was still alive. This didn't set off until the day that Lana and Rose, I mean, Musa and Cascada were able to destroy Xana. But even with the virus gone, it took a while for this process to start because I had originally planned for you to still be on Lyoko where you could have been powered by a tower."**_

"I don't need a tower."

_**"Well you need something, kid, or else you'll get to the point where you take in too much energy for you to control and then it'll be lights out for both us."**_

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad," William murmured.

_**"What the-! Are you suicidal! Why the-"**_

"William?" a knock on the door was heard before it opened to reveal Cascada. She stepped into the room, her eyes trained on William for anything out of the usual.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" the boy asked, meaning to be teasing but it sounded like he was angry. Whether the plant A.I. noticed or not she didn't show it.

"I did knock," she said calmly. "You didn't answer. I was worried."

"You were…worried?" the boy said softly.

The strawberry blonde pulled a plastic bag from behind her back, outstretching her arm out to him. "This is for you. It's food from the restaurant. I hope you like it."

"I already ate," Dunbar said quickly.

"Don't lie to me," Hikaru said in a chilling tone that made the boy freeze for a minute. She took a deep breath, softening her frustrated expression before continuing. "Look, just eat the food. Please. For me?" she asked, forest green eyes staring into dark ones.

"Okay," William nodded taking the food and sitting on his bed. Cascada walked over towards the bed, sitting quietly next to him. He opened the take out box to find onion rings and fries with a can a coke, his favorite. "Thank you," he said taking a bite of the food.

"I had to keep it away from Odd. I told him it was cow's brain," she said chuckling lightly as she stared at her hands in her lap. "I think that may have been the first time Odd Della Robbia has ever run away from food." She turned to William, hoping to at least see a small smirk on his face. There was none. "Jeremy told me to give you this," she said taking out a black leather bracelet with a red stone in the middle.

"Is that the virtualization device?" William asked taking it.

"Yeah," the plant A.I. said taking his left arm and tying the bracelet around it. "We're supposed to be testing them tomorrow. That is," she said looking up at him, "if you're up to it."

"I'll be fine."

"Really?" Cascada asked raising a brow skeptically. "Could have fooled me," she said getting up before she was stopped when a hand gripped tightly on her wrist. She was tugged back onto the bed, William pinning her down, the food forgotten on the floor.

"What do you know?" he growled. "What do you know about anything?"

"William…you're hurting me," the girl grunted and as if she had just splashed a bucket of ice cold water on him, William moved away, removing his slightly bruising grip on her. Cascada sat up, rubbing her sore wrist. Despite the situation she was just in she got up pointing to the bed. "Sleep. Now," she said with a tone and expression that left no room for arguments.

For once, deciding not to argue with her, the boy followed her directions. He got into bed, immediately, his body already beginning the process of slumber but before he completely succumb to his urge to sleep he scooted over towards the side of the bed. A second later Cascada was lying next to him.

"I need my Rose to sleep," he murmured sleepily in her ear. He heard a response, but not the one he wanted to hear.

_**"I'm sad to call you my clone for that corny line. That wasn't even corny, just sad," **_Leon murmured within the abyss of the sword wielding boy's mind.

"_I'm not…your…clone…"_

_**"You're really starting to sound like a broken record. You'll have to accept the fact soon but now, sleep. You're getting me a headache."**_

"_The feeling…is…mutual…"_

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Here."

"Ulrich, can't I do this later?"

"If you don't do this now you'll keep putting this off till later." The geisha warrior sighed before flipping open her cell phone and pressing a number on her speed dial. She waited as the other line rang, Ulrich holding her other hand for reassurance, his brown leather and green stone braclet and her red leather and burgandy stone softly glowing in the dim light. After a few minutes she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.

"My mom is not answering," Yumi sighed, "and I don't know the number of where my dad is staying."

"Maybe later," Ulrich said.

"Maybe," the girl responded, not at all sounding hopeful.

"You need to talk with your mother, both your parents actually," the brunette said.

"Why don't you take your own advice?" Ishiyama murmured softly.

"What did you say?" Stern asked though he was sure he already knew what she said.

"Nothing," said Yumi. "It's late. I'm going to head back to my room," she said as Ulrich led her to the door of the boy's hotel suite. "Night," she said kissing his cheek.

"Night," the boy replied before closing the door. He leaned against it, taking his cell phone from his pocket. He went through the list of numbers before stopping at one. He stared at the phone in his hand, undecided before, in the end, he closed the phone, putting it back inside his pocket.

"Maybe later," he said.

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He didn't turn around when he heard the door to the room open as three pairs of feet walked in. "What did you find?"

A small stack of folders were tossed onto his desk. He turned around, not giving a glance towards his guest before leafing through the files. "The subjects of interest seem to have a tight knit bond, each pillar relying on the other. Where one is weak there are at least two others that can support it," one of his guest said.

"So you are saying you found no weak point?" he asked with an underlying tone of frustration in it.

"No, there are some actually. Each has their own that even the others are not aware of," a second responded.

"Though two seem like the best targets," said a third.

"Very good," their leader said sounding pleased before looking up at them. "Very good spy work but that's only to be expected from my three best stealth agents," he said looking at a photo that was taken of a blonde purple wearing boy eating three times his weight; a slightly indifferent brunette; a tired glasses wearing blonde; a smiling pink hair girl; a laughing Japanese girl; and two AI's enjoying the other's company. "Yes, very good in deed. You three will soon be able to repay your debt. But what will you do after you debt has been paid…Cassie, Brooke, Zoey?"

"You need not worry about that," Cassie said before walking out of the room, flanked by the other two. The man watched as they left before putting the folder down.

"What do you think?" he asked out loud.

"It's obvious they want to kill you," Esen said appearing in a flurry of paper.

"You act as if you don't want me dead either. Are you growing a heart, Esen, or is your acting just improving?"

"I hate you with every bone in my body!" the woman growled.

"Then why don't you attack me? Oh, that's right. You're here for _him. _Pity he'll never be able to return your feelings but here's the thing, can machines truly have emotions or are they just imitating what they were programmed to do?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

…Floating…

…Surrounded...

…Trapped...

…Hopper…looking away…

…"Dad! Help me!" she tried to call out.

…Crimson red….

…The two guards….

…A baby's wails…

Musa eyes blinked open as she found herself not in a container in some sort of lab but in her hotel bed. She rolled over about to try to return to sleep when she bolted up in bed, one hand covered in blue electricity. Across from her was the same boy from before. He stood up from his place on Sitara's bed, his body tense before jumping out the window.

The wolf A.I. threw aside her sheets, running over towards the still sleeping girl's bed. Once she was sure that Sitara was okay she jumped out of her window like before, following the mysterious boy. "_You won't get away this time. It's time to give this new toy a test drive," _she thought to herself as her hand enclosed around a dark blue and silver stone hagning from chocker typed necklace. "**Energize," **she whispered to herself before a ring of blue light appeared around her mid section before separating and dividing into two; one going up and one going down.

Once the process was finished, Musa spared a glance down at herself. Instead of wearing the usual attire, she wore an electric blue kimono that stopped above her knees with black capris and ankle high boots with the necklace still hanging around her neck. "Hm, I like," she grinned, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a black stick that grew into her staff. Tossing the staff up into the air, it came back down as her electric blue guitar. "He plays the flute. I wonder if he knows how to rock. _**Guitar Riff!**_"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He really was an idiot. It was foolish to go back there when he knew that he had been compromised before but…he had to…

His frowned deepened as he dodged the passing trees. If his leader got word of this then he more than likely would be punished. Not doubt about it. His three little spies would see to that. There was really no one he could trust in the organization he was in.

"_Then why am I even still there?" _he wondered before images of a smiling face flashed into his mind. "_That's right. I'm still there for _her."

He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard a crackling sound. He barely had time to dodge as a sphere of electricity was thrown at him at him. He jumped into the safety of the trees above, trying to find the source of the attack.

His head snapped to the side as he heard another crackling sound, though this one sounded different. "I thought I would find him here," a voice murmured softly. He heard another crackling sound, this one sounding like the one he had heard before he was attacked. Turning his head towards the girl he realized that she hadn't heard it and jumped down from the tree knocking her aside as a sphere of electricity flew pass where she just was. Musa looked at the boy who had knocked her aside, saving her. "Why?" she asked confused.

"Don't ask questions," the boy said tonelessly. "We're still surrounded."

"Ten of them," Musa said after awhile. "Am I accurate to say that we're teaming up for this?"

"I could take all of them on my own but that would just be using energy for a pointless reason, so the only other reason is to work together," the boy said.

"You could have just said yes," Musa said. "Do you want the honors of going first?"

"Hm," the boy said flicking his wrist, making his flute appear in his hand. He raised it to his lips. _**"Sonic Wave**_," he murmured before blowing into it. Waves of sonic sound exploded from the fragile looking instrument, spreading outwards. The trees and over scenery around them was unaffected but ten figures dropped down from their hiding spaces in the trees.

"Specters," Musa murmured as she watched the pixel men in black get to their feet. She twirled her staff around herself before making a sweep motion in front of her. "_**Lunar Sweep!**_" A white beam of light appeared from above getting larger as it swept across the specters, destroying them. Musa leaned on her staff pouting. "That was anti-climatic," she sighed.

"We're not finished," the boy said.

"Good because that was too easy. Besides, it's been a while since I've done this and I got a new toy thanks to you. I want to see for myself just what I can do," the wolf A.I. smirked.

"You're having a lot of fun," the boy remarked.

"Where would we be if life was just serious?" the girl questioned before running towards one of newly arrived specters. "Bet I can get rid of more than you," she yelled over her shoulder. The boy smirked as he followed her lead.

* * *

**Longest chapter! **LOL! Just had to say that. Anyway, sorry it took so long to update. School and stuff, you know. Anyway, a lot of things have been revealed in this chapter and there was also a lot of foreshadowing. Um...yeah, so now you understand why Leon is back in the story but William's acting kind of weird. I wonder what that could be about...I actually know. I'm just not telling you. LOL!

Um...don't forget that I'll be changing my name soon to **EvanescentDream93. **I'll probably do it this weekend.

Mothers' day is coming up and I have still yet to get my mom a present, though in my defense she's been asking for some expensive stuff that I really don't have the money to get like a Blue Ray or Tivo. Yeah, I've been saving but not that much! What happened to the days where I could make her a crappy card and get away with it without being called a horrible child? I'm just kidding. I love my mom though I'll probably have to try the puppy look on my granddad to get some extra money.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	21. Grounded

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I only own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other character that was not originally from the show. **

**Grounded**

Musa really needed to give Jeremy some credit. The virtualization device was really amazing. It had always been a slight bubbly feeling on Lyoko when she was using her powers there and even when she was virtualized on Earth via a replica but to be truly on Earth with her full powers…that was like being on a virtual high for the wolf A.I.

It was exhilarating to actually feel her powers buzz through her with every lightning strike. The feeling was so indescribable! Though there was one down side. One thing that Jeremy had obviously forgotten to mention to the others when he handed out these little devices: that the pain that was imminent to happen hurt…a lot.

The first few attacks she had been hit with were like a tingling sensation, annoying but not causing much harm. It wasn't until after a red light on her necklace started flashing, a signal she quickly realized meant that her virtual life points were gone, and when a specter attacked her did she realize that she could feel pain in this form after a certain extent. With that realization, came another: this wasn't a game and there were no redoes. If she were fatally wounded she would soon learn about death first hand.

"Kuso, kuso, kuso!" the girl swore under her breath as she held her bleeding arm.

"Are you okay?" her mysterious companion, whom would only name himself as Void, asked as he blocked off another attack by a specter with his blade.

"Hai, hai!" Musa said swinging her staff furiously at a couple of specters that were advancing towards them. The specters were exactly like the ones Xana used to send after them- black suited men who look like they were going to a funeral- but the wolf A.I. did notice that there was something different about them. While both she and Void were being attacked by the programs, Void was in a much worst shape then she was and she doubted that it had anything to do with the specters' mothers telling them to never hit a girl – she had plenty a many bruises to prove the contrary.

"_No," _the wolf A.I. thought back flipping out of the way of a specter's fist. She chanced a glance at her companion who was being attacked to, his attackers throwing various energy spheres at him. "_They're holding back," _she realized as she remembered that she had only been attacked with hand to hand combats, nothing to life threatening. "_Well," _she thought with a smug smirk, _"just because they're holding back doesn't mean I have to." _With one quick flick of her wrist, she twirled her staff around in her hands. A field of static magnetic energy began to form around her, the air getting thicker. Void seem to have an idea of what she was doing so with one last kick to his attackers, he disappeared in a whirlwind just as a large lightning bolt struck down upon the unsuspecting specters.

Utada breathed heavily as she observed her work. The once snow covered ground was now a large patch of charred earth where the specters once stood. A few surrounded trees were scorched from a few lick of the lightning but none were too damaged thanks to the wolf AI's careful precision. "They're gone," she sighed tiredly.

"Indeed, but do you think your little light show could have been…less flashy?" Void asked appearing next to her.

"Hn," was the girl's only reply before she began to tilt forward. The flutist smoothly caught the unconscious girl in his arms. The necklace that she wore beeped before flashing, two rings of light appearing around her before she was returned to her human form.

"She over exerted herself," he muttered to himself as he moved a strand of hair from her face. He sighed, looking up at the diamond covered sky before disappearing once again, Musa in tow.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jim sat his phone back into its cradle as he ended his phone conversation. "So, who was that?" Ken asked as he played solitaire by himself.

"Just some old friends," the P.E. teacher said gruffly. "They'll be entering this hotel soon and I thought it would be a great time to catch up with them."

"That seems nice," the music producer said absently, no longer playing cards but staring out the window as blue lightning appeared in the sky, no signs of storms in sight. He turned back to the other man who had also been staring out the window before they continued on with their activities.

"They should be here soon," Jim murmured.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He stumbled in the snow, catching his balance before his tired body almost tumbled into the powdery coldness, something that would definitely not be good for his still unconscious companion. He paid no heed to the biting cold that was beginning to seep through his body due to the excess energy he was using to heat himself and Musa. He suspected he had another thirty minutes before the power source in his device ran out.

Said light began to flash red.

"Merda," he cursed. It looked like he only had five minutes to make a twenty five minute trip.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_"Have you thought of a name?" a wide eye raven hair girl asked her._

_"I doubt I would get the choice on naming it. It is the project's property after all" she replied almost bitterly, moving a lock of her blonde hair out of the way as she looked down. Not at the floor, but at the smooth, soft skin that covered her stomach. Slowly, she ran a hand over her flat abdomen._

_A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, placing her hands over large ones. She sighed, tilting her head backwards to see luminous crimson eyes staring down at her. The raven hair girl smiled knowingly before walking towards the door to make sure that none of the scientist was coming. Though the mysterious old men approved of working together as a team they did not approve of such things like…family, at least, not for their test subjects._

_Her gaze was broken when her captor turned his sometimes intimidating gaze on a red hair male sitting of to the side. Said boy's gaze was on the raven hair girl who was unaware of the stare she was attaining. The blonde felt the pair of arms around her leave her waist as the crimson eye male walked purposely towards the only other male._

_The blonde turned her gaze away from the two boys. Just another pointless argument that would further split the group when they needed to be focusing. Also, the red hair boy made her unease, even more so than anything she had been put through by the scientist…_

Cascada was instantly awaken from her dream by the sudden presence of an unfamiliar electromagnetic force. Pushing the weirdness of her dream aside, she tried to remove herself from William's hold without waking the boy but it appeared her efforts were in vain. He was already awake.

"You feel that?" the plant A.I. asked making sure she wasn't being paranoid. The boy nodded before they both got out of bed, making their way to the main room. Glowing green electricity covered Cascada's hands and agitated, sparking, red electricity covered William's.

What they saw made them freeze. A badly beaten, shivering, and unconscious was in the arms of an ebony hair young man with a red visor covering his eyes. "What did you do to her?" Cascada snarled at him.

"The injuries you see here are due to what you call _specters. _I did nothing to her other than try to help her when she insisted on following me," the boy said as he deposited the wolf A.I. into William's arms. "I must leave now," he said before disappearing.

"Thanks," Cascada said thought the boy was now long gone. She looked towards her still asleep sister who was now lying on the couch. She clutched her hands into fist, her face hardening in anger and worry.

"She'll have a lot of explaining to do," William sighed running a hand through his messy locks.

"Believe me," the plant A.I. said, "she won't even see it coming. Idiot. What the hell was she doing? Does she want to die? Does she-" Hikaru paused, stopping herself and taking a deep breath. "Whatever," she said a little calmer. "Where is the first aid?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

His bracelet gave one final warning beep before he reverted back to his original from. He sighed, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Hey. Do you think you can pick me up?" he asked into the phone once the line was picked up. "Yeah? Alright. I'll see you soon."

The boy sighed, tiredly. He hadn't planned for his night to go like this. He would be lucky if he got out of this without any major chastising from his leader. Sighing again, he sat down on the barren and cold ground waiting for his ride to arrive. At the moment, he really wasn't in a hurry.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Of course. I'll be there."

Ralph Erikson, the main and only trusted chauffer of Terran Yuki and Nyx Revelin, hung his phone up before shrugging on his jacket. He was used to late night calls like these. Before he left, he turned back to his laptop and pressed a few buttons and then, leaving the room.

As he left, a window on the computer's screen popped opened. It read: _Extracting files. Duration time: 1 hour. Downloading source: Lycoris Inc..._

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

A throbbing headache and nausea that could put Odd's hangover to shame were the effects of Jeremy's device that one Musa Utada found out the hard way as she woke from her tiring sleep.

"She's awake," a familiar voice informed.

"Good. Now we can start with the interrogation," another equally familiar voice said in a loud voice that made the wolf A.I. wonder if the person was purposely speaking loudly to further agitate her already pounding head.

"Musa," the first voice said shaking her slightly. Utada blinked her eyes open, vision at first blurry before it cleared to reveal a very relieved looking William and a _very _angry looking Cascada.

Before the younger girl could even think to say anything the older girl was already on her case. "Musa! What the heck? What were you thinking chasing a mysterious guy, who only a couple days ago had attacked you, and then you used the virtualization devices without having them properly tested? Do you even know what sort of side effects it could have caused?"

"I think I have an idea," Musa murmured rubbing her temples. Damn, she needed some asprin.

"Honestly Musa," the plant A.I. said pacing back and forth to calm her nerves, "you really need to think things through. You made it through tonight alive but what if you hadn't had help? Then what?"

"She's right," William said joining in. "We have no idea what these people want and who can be trusted."

"I'm sorry," the wolf A.I. sighed.

"I should take away your guitar," Cascada said crossing her arms over her chest. A desired gasp of surprise and fear sounded from her little sister. "But," she continued, "since we're booked to play at a major financial gig I won't take that away." Musa sighed in relief. "You just won't be able to participate in the activity we're having tomorrow."

"Today," William corrected since it was already past midnight.

"What type of activity?" the blue-green eye girl asked wearily.

"We're planning on having a little contest in order to test our devices but since you already did that earlier then there is really no need for you to be participating. It was going to be a one-on-one battle but I guess this is for the best since now the numbers are even," Cascada shrugged.

"That's my punishment?" Musa laughed in disbelief.

"Well if you don't think that's good enough," William began.

"We can always ground you, making you unable to see Odd unless it's for band related reasons," Cascada continued. "And don't even think we wouldn't.

"No!" Musa said holding up her hands. "Not being able to participate in the fights is punishment enough."

"I know it is," the plant A.I. smirked.

* * *

Okay. Shorter than what I've been usually getting out but this is a transition chapter (even if it doesn't seem like one). Took me forever with this chapter because I kept deleting and redoing stuff. Also, check out my poll on my profile. It's a new one.

Um...finally changed my name so call me EvanescentDream93 or Dream or what ever. I doubt any nicknames you could think up for me would be as weird as the ones that my friends have for me like Z-Dawg is one good example. I understand where they got the Z from (my name starts with a Z) but as for the Dawg part...yeah...

May not be able to update alot for maybe the next two week. A really close family memeber of mine is in the hospital again. Seriously, I'm afraid I'll get a phobia of hospitals soon.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	22. Surprise, Surprise: When Things Hit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and anyone else who wasn't in the show not including Cassie, Brooke and Zoey.**

**Surprise, Surprise: When Crap Hits the Fan**

"Everyone _has abilities that can make the world a better place. They just have to try" the man said._

"_But what if I fail?" the child asked._

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

This was absolute TORTURE! "_Oh you're good Cascada," _Musa thought narrowing her eyes at the back of the plant A.I. who was idly swinging around one of her lotus blades with her finger.

It was later on in the day. The rest of the Lyoko gang were fully rested and had been anxious all day to test out their new toys. They had all been told of Musa's little "late night outing with the mysterious stranger" and none were too pleased with the wolf A.I., including Odd. It took the cat warrior most of the day to cool off from his frustration and worry. By that time, Jeremy had already collected any needed side effects from Musa but he needed to make sure that the others didn't have any other mysterious side effects.

At the moment, the group of teens was in a clearing far away from the hotel or any other signs of civilization for that matter. Musa sat next to Jeremy on a fallen tree trunk as she watched her friends.

"Hey! Why do Cascada and Musa get a new outfit while I still look like a giant purple cat?" Odd complained though he had long ago grown content with his Lyoko appearance.

"It doesn't really matter," Cascada shrugged. "Our appearance shouldn't be our concern." She wore a green dress that wrapped around her figure, going over one shoulder with dark pink shorts underneath. Around her waist was a pale green belt that hung slightly at an angle, containing her petals and leaf blades.

"Enough about clothes guys," Jeremy said. "Let's get started. The rules are simple. Since Musa is sitting this out," the wolf A.I. pouted at this, "we'll split you guys into three teams of two," he explained readjusting his coat around him. The wind was beginning to blow with a piercing chilliness.

"The teams will be," Musa continued, "Odd and Aelita, Ulrich and Yumi, and Cascada and William. There are really no rules. Just attack the other teams without, you know, killing them," she said giving Cascada a pointed look. She knew her sister could be competitive when she wanted to be.

"Okay," Jeremy grunted getting up from his seat. He readjusted his glasses before raising his right hand. "On your mark…"

Cascada sent a cat like smile towards the group's feline warrior. Behind that smile was a message: You're first. Odd gulped nervously, pulling at the collar of his suit, seemingly understanding.

"…get set…"

Ulrich's fingers flexed as he began to raise his hands slowly towards his sheathed swords. He could feel the warrior spirit within him rising towards the surface, waiting to be set free. He looked across the field at William, seeing the same fierce look in the older boy's eyes.

"GO!" Musa and Jeremy shouted and that was all that was needed.

Sparks flew as weapons crossed. William and Ulrich's swords met; steel against steel. Both boys pushed against each other for leverage but none were letting up. They jumped backwards, staring each other down before William turned into a cloud of smoke and Ulrich into a yellow blur as the two's swords met once again.

"_**Keep it up. Don't let him get an opening!" **_Leon urged within the depths of the shaggy hair teen's mind.

"_I don't need a backseat driver," _William thought back mentally while a scowl of frustration and anger was on his face.

"Already tired?" Ulrich smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Not even," William muttered swinging his sword down.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Odd crouched to the ground underneath some underbrush. From the green foliage he saw his winged companion glide across the clearing, raining down orbs of pink energy down on the others below.

"Ulrich and William are busy fighting each other so they wont be expecting a surprise attack," he whispered to himself, a devilish smirk on his features.

"It seems like you weren't either," a voice said behind him. The cat warrior's face drained of color as he felt the underbrush he was using for cover suddenly begin to wrap around him, lifting him off the ground and face to face with a smirking plant A.I. "Looks like I found a lost kitty."

Earth wrapped around Hikaru's body forming a cocoon of solid rock to surround her and causing her to loose focus on the vines wrapped around Odd. The boy ginned, landing back on his feet as the surprised A.I. tried to free herself. "Thanks Princess," the cat boy saluted the winged elf girl who was still kneeled on the ground, head tossed upwards. "Sorry Cas," Odd said, "but I'm afraid you'll have to deal with a few minutes without my dashing handsome good looks."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Odd's not taking this seriously," Jeremy observed as the other blonde continued to taunt the plant A.I. instead of targeting his other opponents.

"This is Odd we're talking about," Musa laughed while pointing this out.

"That's not a good excuse," Jeremy said checking the progress of the virtualization devices on his laptop. Cascada was getting some interfering on her device but the boy simply concluded that it was a radio signal and the most it would do was probably play old country western songs in the plant A.I.'s ear.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"_Do they really expect me to not be able to escape from this?" _Cascada thought to herself. She sighed letting her thought wander, keeping her mind free as she felt her body disperse into thousands of petals. The colorful petals created a small whirlwind around Odd, forcing him to shield his eyes. When the petals stopped, Odd only had a second to notice that Hikaru was free and standing right in front of him. It only took a second for Cascada to land a kick to his stomach, causing him to be pushed several feet back.

Cascada regarded Odd for a few seconds before doing a back handed spring, narrowly missing the geisha's warriors fans. The plant A.I. smiled as she took out her Lotus Blades, twirling each around one finger before releasing them towards Yumi, ignoring the static sound in her ear.

They cut through the air, making a low buzzing sound as-

_-they arched in the air, circling around the retreating figures before cutting them like a knife through butter. The spinning four pointed blade returned back to its owner, covered in thick dark red liquid. She raised the blades up to her face examining the dropping liquid as she heard someone shout-_

"Cas! Pay attention!" William yelled. The plant A.I.'s head snapped up just as several laser arrows were headed her way. She was slightly dazed and didn't move as the pointed objects came towards her. A black blur flew before her and the next thing she knew, William was standing in front of her, deflecting the arrows with his sword. "Are you okay? Why did you just stand there?" he asked angrily over his shoulder.

The girl for seethe angrily for some unknown reason even to her. She should be to blame for not paying attention to her surrounding but for some reason, a part of her felt-

_-disgusted. But that part was the recessive part of her, easily and quickly pushed down by the more cold and dominant side; the side that had let go of all human reasoning and conscious. The feild she was in was surrounded by __a two-hundred foot, five feet thick wall. She could easily break through it. In front of her coward men and women wearing torn and tattered clothing. Their beards were long and unkempt, resembling greatly of cavemen. Their skins were dark, from the sun, their unclean conditions, or their natural skin color she didn't know. What she did know was that they were prisoners; uncooperative prisoners that needed a little…encouraging in order to get needed and valid information out from them._

_Only a few were needed and already chosen, being quickly taken out of the arena of death. The rest were of no use and with things with no use, they had to be taken care of. She took out her blades and-_

-threw them at the approaching Ulrich. Though his speed was great, the velocity of the thrown weapons could easily out win him if he wasn't experienced with maneuvering at great speeds. "Cascada, can you try not to kill me?" he asked with a slight teasing tone but when he saw the look in the older AI's eyes he froze. They were cold, emotionless, devoid of all human thought. "William!" he yelled.

Said shaggy hair boy turned around just in time to catch the punch Cascada was sending his way. The force of the connection caused his heels to create little mounds of dirt as he was pushed back slightly. "Cascada! We're on the same team," he grunted, her fist still in his hand.

"_**She can't hear you," **_Leon told the boy. _**"Look in her eyes." **_The boy didn't need to be told; he had already looked into her dull eyes that held no human feeling in them what so ever.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"What's going on?" Musa asked worriedly standing up from her sitting position in an instant. She turned to look down at Jeremy who was looking as pale as a ghost. "Jeremy what's wrong?" she asked grabbing his shoulders and bending down so that they were eye level with each other.

"T-there's an interference with Cascada's device," he stuttered shaking his head as if trying to clear it. "I noticed it earlier but I thought it was just a radio signal but now…" he said trailing off as he looked around Musa only to see Cascada moved on from William, who was on his knees nursing a wounded hand to Aelita who looked both determined and scared as she held a pink sphere in her hand.

"No," Musa gasped turning around to see Cascada heading towards their younger sister. She ran, running her hand over her necklace. "_**Energize**_" she said. She was now running towards Cascada in her new Lyoko outfit. "_I won't let you do something you'll regret later, Cas," _she thought.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Cascada took swift steps towards Aelita, her hands glowing with green energy she raised her hand towards the pink hair girl and-

-_she froze. Standing before her was a young child with dirty blonde hair. It was hard for her to distinguish whether it was a girl or boy under all the layers of dirt that was on the child's skin but it _was _a child and she was supposed to…she was supposed to…-_

"_**Lightning Strike!" **_Musa yelled as she slammed her staff down several inches from where the plant A.I. was. Cascada jumped back as Musa stood in front of Aelita protectively. "_I thought I saw something in her eyes,"_ she thought as she stared into the lifeless green eyes of her sister, "_something regretful." _The plant A.I. took out eight leaf shaped blades quickly throwing them at the wolf A.I. "_**Shield!" **_Utada shouted while summoning a blue shield to protect Aelita and herself. "Aelita, hide," Musa said over shoulder at the pink hair girl.

"But what about you?" Aelita tried to protest. Unfortunately, Musa didn't hear her as she ran at full speed towards Cascada.

"_I'll have to use hand-to-hand attacks," _the wolf A.I. thought. "_That's the only way not to hurt her. I know this isn't her." _She aimed a fist at the green hair girl which was caught. Cascada twisted her sister's arm before crouching down and hitting her in the gut with her elbow. Musa gasped but quickly pulled her knees towards her stomach, momentarily suspending her in the air, Cascada still hanging on to her wrist, before using both feet to kick off the plant A.I.'s stomach. Using the momentum to flip over the girl's shoulder, she twisted her arm behind her back before using both feet once again to push on her back and cause Hikaru to fall forward.

Musa rubbed her sore wrist, figuring that it was practically useless at this point. She watched her sister, seeing if she was going to move from the snow covered ground. When she didn't, Utada took cautious steps towards the plant A.I.'s body. "Cas?" she asked unsure as she gently nudged her. It was then that the wolf A.I. realized her mistake.

The body before her disappeared in a flurry of petals and leaves and before she could even turn around, Musa was sent flying.

"Musa!" Odd yelled running to catch the girl. He ran up one of the bigger trees until her felt gravity pull him down. Before it did though, he pushed of the tree and onto another tree before pushing off that tree and returning to the other at a higher point. With one last push, the cat warrior pushed off the tree and into the air, arms outstretched as the musical warrior landed in his arms. He brought her close to his body protecting her and taking in most of the shock as the fell back to the ground.

"_**Super sprint!" **_Ulrich said as he became a yellow blur heading towards where Cascada was standing. The possessed plant A.I. saw the boy coming and merely raised her hand as a large stalk of vines sprouted from the earth raising her into the air.

She looked down at the ones below her before crossing her arms over her chest, forming an "X". "_**Petal Dance" **_she murmured as petals came from her and rained down on the warriors below, the petals' blades cutting into the trees.

Ulrich tried to block as many petals as he could but they were coming towards him at a speed that even he couldn't move in. Suddenly, the onslaught stopped and the samurai warrior looked around to see the geisha warrior walking slowly towards him, an unearthly glow surrounding her as she kept the tips of her finger on her temples, her face screwed in concentration. Ulrich and the others watched as she parted the clouds of deadly petals making a clear path to the plant A.I.

"G-go," Yumi managed to get out as she slowly fell to her knees but still keeping her concentration. Ulrich nodded before looking back at William. The two shared a quick look at each other, communicating silently. Then, without even a word, they ran towards the stalk of vines where Cascada was perched on top. They had no problem getting up as Aelita used her powers to create earthen stairs that wrapped around the group of vines. Several vines pulled themselves away from the stalk of the plant and tried to whip at the two sword wielding boys but they both easily cut through them making their way up to the top where Cascada was.

Ulrich chanced a look down to see how far up they were and immediately thanked whatever higher deity there was that he didn't get vertigo in his Lyoko form.

"_**That's a long way down," **_Leon noted, _**"and there's not much space up here. Keep your attacks small and not wide or else-"**_

"_Shut up!" _William growled internally. "_I can handle this on my own!"_

"_**Foolish boy," **_the male A.I. growled before becoming silent. If his clone wanted to get himself killed then it was fine with him. He had other back ups to keep Musa and Cascada safe…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Jeremy felt his knees shake slightly. This was his entire fault. He wanted to up stage the two artificial intelligences so much that he forget to test and see if the devices were susceptible to outside interference. Now, the enemy, whoever they were managed to pinpoint them. "_Haste makes waste," _a voice snickered in the back of his mind. "What can I do?" he asked himself silently. He raised his hand, putting it on his chest, where through his jacket he could feel that outline of a chained pendant. "_This may be our only hope," _he thought nervously licking his lip.

He looked around the clearing. Odd was hovering over Musa who was laying against the ground, uncontrolled sparks sputtering from her finger tips as she tried to sit up. Yumi was exhausted, past out on the ground from using her powers. William was attacking Cascada, sword to sword since somehow she had obtained one of Ulrich's while said samurai hung from off the side of the tall vines. And Aelita. She was-

A frantic look suddenly filled the computer whiz's eyes. Where was Aelita?

"_**Energy Field!" **_the voice of his angel shouted out as she hovered above the vines, a large pink sphere held above her head. Cascada looked up from her fight with William at the pink hair angel. She grinned sadistically just as Aelita released the sphere. She turned back to William and forced him back slightly with her sword before her body broke apart in petals. "Oh no!" Aelita gasped just as her ball of energy was to hit William. For once, the boy froze unable to move as his doom came closer and closer to him…

_**"RETURN TO THE PAST NOW!" **_a voice echoed throughout the clearing as a white light swept across the land before William could be hit.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The figure leaned heavily against a nearby tree as the blinding white light came closer. Before they were enveloped by it, they rubbed their throat sorely before collapsing on the ground.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"I can't say that this went exactly as planned, but… it gave us some highly favorable outcomes nonetheless thanks to your contributions Esen."

Esen looked questionably at her leader before returning her gaze back onto the screens which were now either a bright light or just static. "I don't understand. I thought the purpose of controlling Program 7673 was to get rid of some of those humans," she said slowly, cautious not to offend the man with her in any way.

"And once again, I wouldn't expect you to understand the significance of the little things," he chuckled before he pressed a button on the keyboard in front of him. One of the screens rewind until he pause it at a spot. "What do you see?"

Esen looked at the screen. "Just the human boy who seems of no use to his companions whatsoever."

"Not him. Look closer at the trees behind him."

The paper manipulator leaned forward, squinting slightly aware of him watching her. She ignored it though and concentrated on the screen. At first, she didn't see it but when she looked again she saw the figure of a person hiding behind the trees a slight glow around one of their hands.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"An unexpected surprise that has basically just delivered itself on our doorstep," the leader chuckled. "We just need to urge it on a little, don't you think so Void?"

"Whatever is for the good of our kind," the boy replied emotionlessly.

"Yes," their leader nodded as the white light came over them. "Whatever is for the good of _our _kind…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Do you feel that?" a female asked her male companion stopping him as they made their way to their hotel.

"Yes," he nodded as the he saw the white light sweep closer towards them. "I guess I'll see you in a few hours," he sighed before they were engulfed.

_"I hate Déjà vu_," the woman thought to herself.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_The man smiled down at the child. "When you fail, and you will, just…try, try again…."_

* * *

Hey guys. Finally got this up. Anyway hope the part with Cascada going back from past to present wasn't confusing. This chapter was actually supposed to end differently but...oh well. Sorry for any grammatical errors. I'll fix those later.

Um... it's Memorial Day in the U.S. so remeber all the troops out fighting out there whether or not you're someone like me who doens't approve of the war and think that Bush is an idiot with too much power. Before I go off the Lyoko gang would like to say something.

Musa: May Peace...

Odd: May Peace...

Ulrich: May Peace...

Yumi: May Peace...

Cascada: May Peace...

William: May Peace...

Jeremy: May Peace...

All: Reign on Earth!

Corny I know, but what ever. May Peace Reign on Earth.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	23. Surprise, Surprise: When Things Can't

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Casacada, this story's plot and anyone else who wasn't in the show.**

**Surprise, Surprise: When Things Can't Seem to Get Worst…They Do**

The return trip usually somehow made things right, taking away any damage, any physical pain there was just as long as it stayed a hair's width away from death as its blinding white light swept over it. If it was dead, then it couldn't be fixed and the universe found some way to equal the balance that the forced rewinding of time caused. But this…this was different.

Aelita closed her eyes in an effort to stop her throbbing head and she felt physically drained; Ulrich literally felt as if his body was made of lead; Yumi's headache could rival Aelita's any day; Musa and Odd sat curled up on different ends of the couch, their faces pale and clammy, a trash can in between them in case they had to empty their stomachs though that seemed impossible since they already did so twelve time before; Jeremy, Cascada, and William were no where to be found though it was apparent that the computer whiz was in the cabin's lab working diligently to fix any overlooked problems of the devices. Cascada seemed to have retired to her room, locking her doors to everyone, and William, well, they knew for sure that he was alive. As to where he was or what he was doing, none knew, though it wasn't like they could do anything lying around the boys' suite in their current conditions.

"Oh man!" Odd moaned covering his head with a nearby couch pillow. "Why me? Why me?"

"Why you?" Musa moaned snatching the pillow away from him and covering her own head with it. "Why me?!"

"Why the hell do we feel like this?" Ulrich muttered turning his head towards Aelita.

"Side effects," the girl said simply, thinking and speaking too much seemingly a little overwhelming for her at this point.

"Oh man!" Odd moaned again clutching his stomach as he curled deeper into himself. "This is worst then going around in the transport orb or getting a hangover!"

"Shut it!" Yumi grumbled impatiently throwing a pillow at the blonde. "You're making my headache worst."

The group sat in agonizing silence, their aches and pains seeming like they would never end.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Okay, you ready?"

"I don't think this is a good idea Hiroki."

"Stop worrying, Johnny and relax. This is fool proof," the Japanese boy replied punching in numbers on the phone.

"I don't know. Your sister will probably be mad at you for this" the other boy said unsure before he was silenced by his friend as the phone began to ring.

"Hello? It's me, Hiroki; I need you to come quick. It's an emergency!"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Cascada needed to get away and forget, leaving the confines of her room. She had spent too much time thinking about what had happen earlier to her before the return trip, going so close to depression. So, what was the plant A.I. to do when she felt like she wasn't in the mood for drawing? Shopping, bringing startled and surprised Sitara and Sissi along for the ride.

"Hikaru!" Sissi said impatiently though she didn't dare to raise her voice higher than it was now. She didn't wish to be on the receiving end of an already angry Cascada. "I agreed to go shopping with you but I didn't agree to be your dress up doll."

"Shut up, brat, and put these on," the plant A.I. said handing the girl a pile of clothes before pushing her towards an open dressing room.

Just at that moment, Sitara came out of another dressing room, looking slightly flush as she showed of the powder blue knee length dress with hood, black leggings, and matching blue boots. Cascada circled around the mute like a predator would its prey. She stopped in front of the timid girl tapping her finger against her chin.

"The design is good," she mused aloud, "but…there something wrong…"

"Perhaps you should go with warmer colors. Her skin tone seems perfect for such colors," a familiar voice suggested behind Cascada. The green eye girl spun around to the same woman she had ridden in the elevator smiling back at her.

The plant A.I. was about to say something to the woman before she turned around to face Sitara. "You're right," she murmured going over to the rack where she found the dress and picking out one in orange. One the way back, she picked up a few accessories. "Here," she said once she returned handing the bewildered girl the pile of items before she was sent back to the dressing room.

"Very good choice," the woman smiled. "I knew I saw great talent in you."

The girl just shrugged. "Fashion is a form of visionary art and visionary art is my expertise."

"Really?" the woman chuckled before she realized something. "I haven't introduced myself to you have I? Maria, fashion designer at your service," she said extending out her hand.

"Cascada, underestimated boarding student," the blonde said shaking the woman's hand.

"Maria!" a voice exclaimed. "Guess what! There's a sale at a store- Cascada!"

Before the plant A.I. could even figure out what was going on she found herself in a back breaking hug that could only belong to one person.

"Hi…Mrs. Dunbar," she gasped.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Ken Della Robbia had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Everything for the party seemed to be going well except for the fact that he hadn't found any costumes for the band to wear. It was a masked ball after all. The band had to look great but it was hard finding a decent costume designer who would make so many costumes in two days time. Well, there was one, but he wasn't sure whether or not he should call. The last time they had spoken together…they weren't on the best of terms.

"_Understatement of the century," _the man snorted to himself. He had to figure something out. This was the band's first big gig and as their producer he had to make sure the band was sending out a good impression and letting them go out dressed in any thing other than the theme of the party would be a big no.

Speaking of the band, he hadn't seen any of them lately. He knew they were kids and needed times to relax but he thought with a musical slave driver like Musa they would at least be practicing till their fingers were numb by now. He sighed. He would give them the day off today. Tomorrow he would make them practice from sunrise to sunset.

He yawned, leaning back on his own hotel bed, ready to take a cat nap when a curt knock on the door was heard. "_Why me?" _he sighed once again before getting up. "Coming," he called out to the person who was still knocking on the door.

When he opened the door, the dour expression on his face turned into an amused grin. "Hey, Old Timer," he chuckled leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

The man at the door didn't look too happy at the nickname he had years ago been given. "I which you would stop calling me that Ken. You know I'm no older than you."

The music producer smirked. "Kind of hard to tell with all that gray you got there," he pointed out at the man's hair, making the other man frown deeper. The man had graying brunette hair cut neat and short. He wore a beige trench coat over a grey suit, looking every part like the workaholic businessman that he was.

"Humph. We all can't be care free like you Ken," the man said pushing past the producer and into the room. "Even when we used to work together you never took anything serious."

"What can I say?" Ken shrugged. "I try to live life to the fullest. You should try, my friend. I bet you'll find out that it's actually good for your health."

"Don't talk about health," the man replied sternly before sighing, his defensives dropping slightly. "It took much longer than I thought to get here."

"Well you're here, now, and that's what's important," Della Robbia said patting his friend on the back. "Before we continue our little trip down memory lane, you mind if we get some food? I'm starving!"

"You're not going to leave to go to the bathroom only for me to realize that you snuck out leaving me with the bill again are you?" the man asked.

"No," Ken said offended, leading the man out of the room while continuing to chatter about other topics all the while crossing his fingers behind his back.

That was the thing about the Della Robbia men. Their motto was to always find a way to get a free meal.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**__**  
**_

"Aspirin, Pepto Bismol, I love thee so!" Musa sang, for once in her life, out of tune. The rest of the previously ill Lyoko gang were also in a better mood now that their pain had been dulled immensely by taking some medication but they found something out: artificial intelligences needed anywhere from double to triple the amount of medication of what a regular person took for it to work effectively and even though that amount wasn't harmful to the wolf A.I. it did have its effects.

"Whoa, Muse, calm down," Odd said holding his girlfriend by the shoulders.

"Well at least you have an idea of how you were drunk," Ulrich chuckled.

"I wasn't this bad was I?" Odd whispered to his friend as he watched Musa have a…interesting conversation with a plant.

Ulrich raised a brow. "You kissed William," he said.

"On the cheek!"

"Whatever," the brunette chuckled.

"I think we should get some coffee into her," Yumi said, "I think the hotel's restaurant has some leftover from breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan," Aelita said leading the group out.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

His fingers ached so much he could barely bend them but he continued, putting his well being on the line just to check and recheck and recheck again his calculations. He had already failed and messed up once he couldn't do it twice. For a brief moment, his hands stopped typing, one of them raising towards his shirt where a light blue pendant hung on a silver chain underneath his shirt.

He could have helped his friends but fear stopped him. That was no excuse to him. His friends dealt with fear all the time but still, they were able to fight. What about him? What about Jeremy? He was afraid. Afraid of so many things. He was weak, he decided, and he hated it. He hated even more that there was nothing that he could do about except for continuing typing, hoping that this time he wouldn't screw up.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Emma Dunbar was many things: a loving mother, a devoted wife, optimistic, energetic, and sometime slightly crazy, but there was one thing that she was not and that was oblivious.

She had noticed the slightly less bright look in Cascada's eyes the second she had pulled away from hugging the girl. She cared deeply about the girl not only because she was her son's girlfriend (and hopefully, future wife) but because as unlikely as it seemed, she saw a great deal of herself in the blonde. Their outer appearances seemed to always portray something totally different from what they were really feeling in an attempt to hold everything around them together. Yes, Emma Dunbar was many things but ignorant was not one of them.

Maria blinked as she looked from her friend to the girl, Cascada, before her and her friends that appeared from the dressing room.

"You know this girl?" she asked Emma with a confused expression.

"Of course!" Mrs. Dunbar said with a wide grin, one arm still wrapped around the plant A.I.'s shoulder. "This is _the _Cascada I was talking about."

The fashion designer gasped, "So your little Willy's _amante_, lover," she said seemingly unaware of her word choice. Cascada blushed, once again or maybe it didn't in this case, it helped, to have a multi lingual sister.

"Maria!" Emma gasped. "They're not lovers! There only teens! Right?" she said looking at Cascada with a look that said she better answer yes.

"She's right Ms. Maria," Hikaru said for once fearful of someone else's, Mrs. Dunbar, wrath.

"Oh, my apologies and just call me Maria," Maria laughed sounding like wind chimes. She turned her attention towards the other two girls behind Cascada. "And who are these two?" Before anyone could see how it happened, Sissi was in front of the woman.

"Oh my gosh! Maria! I am your biggest fan! I have most of your clothes from last season and even a few timeless accessories that my mother had. I thought I saw you at the hotel where we were staying at but I wasn't sure but now I am and-"

"Bella, calm down," the fashion designer said a little startled by the girl. "What is your name?"

The principal's daughter looked like she could die and go off to wherever she belonged to when the woman asked for her name. "Elisabeth Delmas, but everyone calls me Sissi unless you want to call me Elisabeth. I have no problem with that or maybe-" the girl was stopped when Maria placed a finger against her mouth, silencing her.

"Elisabeth is a beautiful name," she said smiling leaving the girl in a daze before turning to the other girl who had yet to speak. "And what is your name?"

"Sitara Deangelo," Cascada replied for the caramel eye girl. "She's mute and very shy."

A surprised expression fell on both Emma's and Maria's faces before they both glanced at each other. Without any warning, they glomped the poor girl. "So cute!" they cried, squeezing the poor life out of the girl. "What every parent dreams of! A child that can't talk back to them!"

Cascada cleared her throat, stopping the two women from squeezing her silent friend to death. The two women looked sheepish as they let go of the girl. "So…" Emma began, "Where are my darling son and the others?"

"I think back at the hotel," Cascada said before she was interrupted by her stomach. All eyes turned to her as she pushed down a blush of embarrassment. "I guess I'm hungry."

Maria laughed. "I like a girl with an appetite. You seem to be perfect for my son. Now, let's go back to the hotel, we can get something from the restaurant there if you three are finished shopping."

"Of course," Sissi said finally coming out of her daze. The plant A.I. shrugged. There was really no point on turning down the offer. Besides she doubt she wanted to miss and experience with Maria and Emma.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

William stood on top of the hotel's roof, unnoticed. He had been up there, undisturbed for hours. He didn't notice the numbing effect the biting cold had on his jacketless form. He stared unseeingly at the sunset, as the sky darkened, the sun setting like a dimming flame. This would have been a great scene to take a photo of, or write a poem about but the shaggy hair teen wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking about something else.

_**"A penny for your thoughts?" **_the image of Leon asked from a metal air vent jutting out from the roof. The boy didn't respond. The male A.I. sighed looking down at the ground before looking back at his counter part with a firm expression on his face. _**"Look, we both know what the other is thinking, no matter how much you try to deny it. I know everything about you. Your hopes, dreams, wishes, ambitions, everything. You can't hide from me."**_

"I can try," the boy finally spoke.

_**"Yes, you can try," **_Leon agreed, _**"but that path only leads to more problems that would not have risen if you only listened to me."**_

"I'm not your puppet," William said still staring off at the diminishing sun.

_**"If I wanted you to be, you would, but I'm giving you a chance to make your own decisions. You have all control over your body except for the times you let your rage blind you."**_

"I don't need you counseling me."

"_**Then what do you need?"**_

"To be me."

_**"What **__is__** you?"**_

"Not being you."

_**"And exactly what am I? A loving brother? An obedient son? A faithful love? If you don't wish to be me then you'll have to break all the ties you ever created with everyone you've ever known**__**."**_

"Be quiet," William murmured.

_**"Live only for yourself. Be selfish!"**_

"Shut up," the teen growled clutching his head.

_**"Retreat to the same darkness that Xana had put you in. To the cold emotionless machine you were, that you are!"**_

_**"**_I said, SHUT UP!" William yelled falling to his knees, hands still on his head, sparks of angry red electricity flaring up. "Shut up," he whispered.

The image of Leon knelt down in the air ducts metal surface coming face to face with his other half. _**"Do whatever you want. Don't be me for all I care. Just know this, if you don't accept this, me," **_he said waving a hand at himself, _**"then you don't accept any of the other bonds you formed here on Earth. Any way, any perspective you look at it through, it all leads back to me. You wouldn't be here otherwise." **_

The roof was once again silent, save for the sound of the chilling wind and the sound of a lone tear dropping onto the roof.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Odd, Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich managed to get the slightly drunk wolf A.I. down to the hotel's restaurant without incident. It actually seemed that Musa was beginning to sober up. Since they were already down here, they decided to get a bite to eat

They sat in a booth, looking at their menus until their waiter arrived. "I don't know what to get," Odd said looking like he was seriously in a dilemma. "Should I get the ten cheese pasta or the orange chicken and rice?"

"The orange chicken," Ulrich said. "I am not dealing with you sitting on the toilet all night complaining because you got yourself constipated. The stench probably wouldn't go away for days."

"Well in that case," Odd said as the waiter arrived, "I'll have the orange chicken _and _the ten cheese pasta."

"You seriously want a beating, don't you?" the brunette murmured to his friend.

"Love ya too good buddy," Odd grinned cheekily.

Once everyone had ordered their foods, they began talking. "Okay," Musa said. "I say after we eat, we go find Jeremy, Will, and Cas so we can rehearse."

"Don't you think that can wait till tomorrow?" Aelita asked.

"You're going to ruin your voice if you keep up with these hard core practices," Yumi added.

"Fine," the wolf A.I. sighed.

"Hiroki!" a voice shouted sounding panic. Yumi's eyes widened at her brother's name. The tone the person had used to say it had sound so pain stricken. Without even thinking, she got up from the booth and ran towards the voice.

"Yumi! Wait!" Ulrich called running after her, the others not too far behind.

They found the geisha warrior at the main entrance; her feet seemingly stuck to the ground as if concrete were tied to them. She stared, with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open, at the entrance because there in front of her stood both her parents, looking frazzled and worried.

Mrs. Ishiyama caught sight of her daughter before running over to her and gripping her into a tight hug. "Oh Yumi! You're okay! I was so worried."

"Mama," Yumi gasped for breath, her arms still hanging limp at her side. "Why are you two here? Together? I thought I told you that Hiroki and I were taking a school trip."

"Is there some kind of problem here?" a toneless voice asked. Yumi was able to turn her head slightly in her mother's embrace to see Cascada looking coldly at her mother. The two weren't on the best of terms since their last meeting. Sitara and Sissi were standing behind her, looking unsure of what was going on with two other women behind them. She recognized one to be Mrs. Dunbar but the other had a slight familiarity to her even though she was sure that she had never met the woman.

"Whoa! Looks like a party and we weren't invited," Ken's voice chuckled as he and a very familiar man came up behind the group that was behind the expressionless plant A.I.

Ken looked at the group before his eyes widened in something that was close to shock, surprise, nostalgia, and uncertainty as his eyes fell upon the woman who Yumi was unfamiliar with. "Maria," he seemed to breathe out.

"Ken," the woman nodded curtly at the producer her eyes holding the same emotion as his.

Musa watched as the scenes played out. It was only right for Yumi to act surprise. Her, at the moment, separated parents showed up looking like they had just awoken from a nightmare without any explanations. She understood this. What she didn't understand was the reason why Odd and Ulrich had went stiff, all of their defensives up.

Ulrich looked at the frowning graying brunette that was standing next to Ken.

"Ulrich," the man said tonelessly staring the boy down.

"Dad," the teen managed to ground out, his hands tightening at his side.

"Egen!" the woman cried as she, just like Yumi's mother had wrapped her arms around the blonde happily.

The blonde looked awkward as he patted the woman's back. "Hey mom."

And things just keep getting complicated from here.

* * *

OMG! I live! I thought I would never get this out with finals and everything. Summer vacation is here! Well technically I still have a week of school but you don't really have to go unless you have to or need some stupid service hours like me. I only have three I think...I hope...ugh...troublesome.

Took me awhile to finish this, couldn't figure exactly how to get to the end. There were alot more emo momment then I thought there would be but oh well. I am classified as the emo of my group of friends for a reason I guess. So, where you expecting Ulrich's dad and Odd's mom? I have to say, I did kind of give an obvious hint on who the woman in the elevator with Cascada was. I think it went a little like this:

_"Well. That was...odd." - _Cascada, Finders Keepers

You know, looking back, maybe that wasn't obvious ; Oh well. But I did kind of forshadow somewhere in the last two t four chapters about something like this happening...I think...ugh, I'm confusing myself. Not good.

So, most of the gangs parents are here. I don't think that I'll have Jeremy's parents come though. That would be a little too much. But he might get a call from his dad for advice.

Wow. It's really windy here but I guess I do live in the Windy City, and yes I know it's not really called that becasue of the wind but the supposedly long winded politicians we have. Speaking of politics...Obama for president! Sorry, had to do that. Buh-bye Clinton! Though I think it would be cool if they team up.

Ugh. I'm talking-writing too much.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	24. Surprise, Surprise: Fate Loves

**Disclaimer: Okay I'm tired of saying this so Sitara will say the discalimer! (Silence) Oh, oops, my bad. Um, yeah. I don't own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other character that wasn't in the show.**

**Surprise, Surprise: Fate Loves Messing Around**

Musa sat alone on a bench dusted with light snow. She pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them and laying her head onto of her knees. A somewhat depressed sigh escaped from her lips, the usual bright spark in her eyes dimming.

Today, to say the least was a hectic day, maybe more or less hectic as yesterday, the day when Cascada was being controlled by a still unidentified source. The chilling breeze blew unnoticeably against her thinly layered clothed body but when you're running angrily away from someone you tend to forget things.

The wolf A.I. sighed again, going over her day, noting everything that led up to her sitting here in the park, in the cold, without a coat, noticeably shivering. _"Fate just loves messing with me," _she thought bitterly.

After the surprise introduction of Odd's mother, Ulrich's dad, and Yumi's parents yesterday, the air seemed to get tense around the gang. Musa had expected this somewhat. She had heard about Ulrich's father and the description of the man seemed to be true. While other parents would hug their children or give them a welcoming smile, Evan Stern, looked extremely disappointed in his son for no apparent reason. He made no effort to hide that he wasn't happy when he found that Ulrich was in a band instead of studying. He also made no effort to hide that he thought lowly of the samurai's friends. That didn't really affect Musa much. If all the man did was talk then he really was no threat to her. She had dealt with worst though she was sorry that Ulrich, a close friend, was on the receiving end of his father's misplaced anger and impossible expectations.

Yumi's parents immediately asked Yumi if she was okay and if she was happy. This took place the second after Mrs. Ishiyama released her daughter from her bone crushing hug. Of course, the geisha warrior looked confusedly at her parents. Mrs. Ishiyama continued to rant on and on about how she was so sorry but for exactly what, no one was sure until the woman mentioned that Hiroki had called her and Mr. Ishiyama saying that there was an emergency. Supposedly, the young Japanese boy had said that he was getting seriously depressed due to their seperation and that Yumi was so depressed that she had gone as far as cutting herself. This tidbit of info didn't help Mr. Stern think any better of Yumi.

The geisha warrior had been visibly upset, dragging both of her parents off to show that there was no cuts on her body save for the small paper cut she had gotten when opening the box of aspirin earlier for her headache. Once she had proven that she was in no way hurting herself, her parents became angry, demanding the ever calm and collected Anita Emeraldson to give them their son's room number.

Musa shook her head. She held no sympathy for the boy. He had gotten himself in this situation, for whatever reason, going as far as saying that his sister was doing something that she was not. He would be lucky if was ever seen again with Yumi's temper being only out beaten by that of Cascada's.

That only left Odd and his mother now. It came as a shock to Musa that the boy even had a mother. Of course she knew that he _had _a mother, he had even mentioned her once on one of their first outings. It was just…strange. Musa had practically told the cat warrior her entire life after the incident when Xana tried to impersonate her, in an act to build a tighter bridge of trust between them. He had always listened, uncharacteristically quiet, absorbing everything she said and never interrupting to ask her questions until she was done. She had shared her whole heart to him and yet, she had barely seen a speck of his.

To anyone who didn't know Odd very well, they would think he was a cheerful clown who seriously needed to work harder on his studies. Musa and the rest of the Lyoko group knew differently. Though Della Robbia had been dubbed the comic relief of the group, that didn't mean that that was as deep as the cat warrior went. There were many layers of Odd that not everyone got to see. His compassion and duty was shown the most to his friends; Musa was the only one who saw his gentle and tender side, the side where he sometimes let his comedic shield drop, showing great intellect behind those breathtaking violet eyes. She was the closest to ever getting to see the _true _Odd but there were still many things that he hid even from her and it truly pained her heart. Why wouldn't he tell her things?

The wolf A.I.'s hand went over her heat, her fingers gripping tightly to the fabric of her sweater as she tried to control the tight feeling that was welling up inside of her. Her body shook.

She remembered how Odd had acted at his mother arrival. The comedic mask that he had on so much was up as he pretended to chat animatedly with his mother, asking her about her new clothing line and his many sisters. It wasn't until Maria commented that she needed a drink did the boy tense along with Ken who looked regretfully off to the side. Odd's hands curled up into fist at his side, struggling to control himself.

"_Relax,"_ Maria said noticing her son's and ex-husbands discomfort. _"I simply meant something like a glass of water or tea."_ Odd had visibly relaxed at this but his eyes were dull, no longer holding the same spark they once had.

Like always, Utada had given him the night to think by himself. It wasn't until later today, after a successful but somehow spirit lacking practice (William had finally returned from wherever he had been hiding, eyes dark and not responding to anything unless it was band related) did she confront Odd alone in the hall about his unusual behavior with his mother.

"_It's nothing,"_ he had said trying to gently push pass her.

"_Egen!"_ she said gripping his arm with both of her hands, stopping him from leaving but he didn't turn around to face her. _"What's going on? Why were you so…tense with your mother?"_

"_It's nothing,"_ he repeated shaking his arm away from her grasp.

"_Nothing?"_ Musa cried out stepping in front of him. _"Egen, I know it was more than nothing! Why won't you tell me what's going on with you?"_

"_Why won't you stop annoying me and just leave me alone? You don't have a mother so you wouldn't understand!"_ Odd yelled angrily before recoiling at his words. Musa looked shocked at the boy, taking a step back when he tried to comfort her. _"Muse, I-I didn't mean that. I'm just-"_

"_No,"_ she cut him off, her voice a low angry growl. _"I think you did mean that. If you don't remember, sound is my specialty and I can tell from your voice that you meant every word." _

"_Musa-"_ the boy reached out towards her but she was already gone leading her here to sit alone on a cold hard bench, heartbroken and without a jacket.

Since she was distracted, she didn't notice the figure walking up towards her until she felt a warm jacket hung over her shoulders. She gasped, looking up to see a man, looking to be around in his early twenties. He smiled at her before sitting down next to her. The shocked wolf A.I. observed the man, a sense of familiarity running through her mind but where had she seen him before?

"A chilly evening isn't it?" he asked her. "Makes me wonder why a beautiful young girl such as yourself would be out here. It can't be good for your lovely vocals."

Musa blushed, unconsciously wrapping the jacket closer to herself. "You're that guy who complimented me at the hotel earlier," she said, slowly remembering that this was the same copper hair man who had complimented her earlier on her first day at the hotel.

"Yes," The man nodded grinning. "I could never forget such a haunting and beautiful song such as the one you were singing or the singer who was singing it, so, when I saw you sitting here by yourself, I took it upon myself to see if anything was the matter. A smile suits you best, my dear."

"Thank you," the wolf A.I. blushed again before going back into her depression; his words sounded like something Odd would have said. She turned to the copper hair man sitting next to her. She wondered how he could stand the cold without the jacket. Her body was much tougher than that of a human's and even she felt the stinging of the cold air though at the time she had simply ignored it, somewhere back in her mind wondering how long it would take her to freeze to death. "M-may I ask you a question?" she stammered, still embarrassed. This was virtually a stranger after all. She should have left here long ago but she couldn't make herself move. He intrigued her in some way.

"You just did," the man chuckled, dark eyes shining with amusement, "but go on."

"Well, I was wondering if someone you cared about-"

"It's getting late," the man suddenly said to her though his eyes were looking somewhere behind her. She turned slightly to see a pink figure making their way towards them. When she turned back around to address the man he was gone.

"Musa!" The wolf A.I. turned back around to see Aelita running towards her. The pinkette came to a sudden stop before her, breathing hard. "Musa…I've been looking everywhere for you."

"You have?" Utada questioned.

Aelita nodded. "I kind of...I kind of saw your argument with Odd," she said sheepishly.

"Oh," the bi-color hair girl face darkened.

"Who were you talking to?" the princess of the group asked.

"I don't know," Musa said bringing the coat tighter around her. "He gave me his jacket and left suddenly without it. I hope he's okay. It's getting colder."

Her sister nodded. "A storm is supposed to come. We should head back to the hotel."

"Okay," the wolf A.I. nodded getting up. To comfort herself, since there was still lingering melancholy within her, she took the pink hair girl's hand in her own for reassurance. Aelita squeezed the girl's hand, silently comforting her before they made their way out of the park.

The wind began to pick up, blowing harder as the sun's rays bled out into inky skies hidden from view by ominous dark grey clouds. Snowflakes began their descent down to the ground and the wind blew harder, with more ferocity than before.

"We should find somewhere where we can go inside!" Musa yelled over the howl of the wind. "It's too far to the hotel in this weather! Over there!" she said pointing towards a nearby café. The two girls rushed to the warmth and safety of the cozy looking café. The bell above the door tinkled as they walked in. They both let a final shiver go through them before moving off towards a booth near a lighted fire place.

"How long do you think the storm will last?" Aelita asked looking out at the window where there was basically no visibility past the curtain of falling snow.

"Don't know," Musa said tucking her feet under her, "but as soon as it lets up we can call a cab or something to take us back to the hotel. Okay?"

"Alright," Aelita nodded. Silence fell between the two.

"Do you want something?" Musa asked. "I think I could go for something warm right about now."

"Try the cinnamon hot chocolate, dear. It's simply delicious," a light voice said.

They looked up to see Anita, standing with Ozzy, the former with her arms around the man's arm in an embrace while the later looked like he rather be somewhere else.

"Hello girls," the woman said warmly, her red hair down rather than up like it usual was when she was working at the hotel.

"Hello" Aelita waved.

"Konnichiwa, Mrs. Emeraldson," Musa greeted.

The woman chuckled. "No need to be so polite, my dear. Call me Anita. Besides, at the moment I'm not married." She looked towards the window and shivered. "Oh dear, it's getting terribly chilly out there." Ozzy grunted in agreement.

"If you don't mind me asking," Aelita asked nervously. "Are you two together?"

"Once again," Anita smiled warmly at the pink hair girl, "another 'at the moment situation'. Ozzy and I are well aquatinted and we thought it would be nice to meet each other outside of the hotel since this is the first time we both haven't been so busy by our careers."

"So…you're not together?" Musa asked before over dramatically sighing. "That's a relief. Personally, I think you're too good for Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt," she said pointing at the glasses wearing man.

"I see you still haven't wised up on respecting your elders," the man replied, annoyed at her comment.

"And I see you still haven't learned the concept of teasing or having fun," Musa said.

"That is true, Oswald," Anita chuckled. "You do tend to immerse yourself in your work." The man turned away offended. "Oh don't be like that. Do you two mind if we sit with you? The storm has seemed to have brought others seeking warmth in here, not leaving much room."

"Sure," the girls shrugged. Musa got up and moved next to Aelita while Ozzy and Anita took their seats on the other side of the table. A frazzled looking waitress quickly took their orders before moving on to the next table.

"So," Anita leaned forward grinning. "How are you enjoying your stay at the hotel? Be straight with me. I won't take offense if you found something not to your liking. It's my job as manager to improve the hotel for our guests."

"It's fine!" Aelita replied quickly. "I've never been to such an expensive place before."

"I'm glad you're enjoying your time then," the red hair woman smiled making Aelita blush. She turned to Musa and was slightly surprised to see the girl staring out the nearby window looking crestfallen.

"Is something the matter, dear?"

Musa didn't answer.

"Didn't you hear her?" Ozzy asked, his tone level. "She asked you a question."

"I'm sorry for my rude behavior," Utada said apologetically to the woman, "but I don't feel comfortable talking about this."

"We understand," Anita said softly, "but just know that whatever you are going through, it may be best to talk to someone about it so you can quickly resolve it, though I'm not pressuring you to tell us."

"Arigatou," Musa nodded.

Anita nodded in return before looking around for their waitress. "Our drinks should be out by now. Aelita, dear, would you mind coming with me to get them?"

"Uh, sure," the pink hair girl said scooting from the booth and following the woman to the counter. Once they arrived they waited for their orders that were told to be out soon.

"So, Aelita, tell me about yourself," Anita smiled encouragingly.

"Well," the girl began nervously, "there's not really much to tell," she said biting her lip.

"What are your interests?"

"I like working on computers though I really don't want that to be my only skill when I'm looking for a career. I also like to DJ and read mythology." A nostalgic look came on to the girl's face. "My father use to read them to me when I was younger."

"You look like you miss him," Anita observed.

"Yes," Aelita nodded, "and my mother. I haven't seen them in a long time. I really miss them."

"I'm sure they miss you too, darling. Girls your age need true parental figures to help guide them in such a confusing time, but considering everything, you seem to be becoming a fine young woman," the hotel manager said placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Aelita smiled at the woman. Anita just seemed to give off this confident vibe that she greatly respected and envied and though she hardly knew the woman, in a strange way, she felt like she did…

Back at the table with Musa and Cascada, the wolf A.I. sat with her chin in her hand staring outside of the window. She let out a loud sigh that couldn't go unnoticed by Ozzy unless he was deaf.

"You're an attention seeking brat, you know that right?" he said offhandedly.

"Nani?" the girl questioned surprised and insulted.

"Speak English," Ozzy said curtly.

Musa narrowed her eyes.

"Don't give me that look," the man said indifferently. "We both know that all you do, the way you act and speak, is just a way to get attention."

"You don't know anything about! You don't know what I'm going through so you wouldn't understand!" Musa growled

"Doesn't this conversation sound familiar?" the man asked lightly, adjusting his glasses.

"_You don't have a mother so you wouldn't understand!" Odd yelled angrily._

Musa gasped. Ozzy had been watching? Who else had seen it besides him and Aelita?

"Now, Utada, you can pull the whole 'woe is me' card or you can tell me what exactly is happening between you and Della Robbia as an adult," Ozzy said.

The girl sighed, this one a sigh of defeat. Though she didn't like Ozzy, the fact that they weren't all buddy-buddy meant that he would be honest with her on certain aspects. "I can only assume that you saw Odd's and mine little…argument. I-I honestly don't know what to do anymore. When it comes to topics about him he seems so…closed."

"Tell me," the head of sound crew asked. "How long have you and Odd been together?"

The girl furrowed her brow in thought. "About a few months now. I guess six months."

"I see," Ozzy murmured. "And how many boyfriends have you had before him?"

"How is this relevant to anything?" Musa asked annoyed.

"Answer the question."

"None."

"And how many relationships has he had?"

The girl ducked her head, hissing behind her bangs. "More than we could count on both our fingers and toes."

The man looked somewhat startled and enraged by this information but he hid it well before the wolf A.I. could see it. "So he has had other girls before you. Maybe that little spat in the hallway was how he usually breaks up with his girlfriends," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"No!" the girl cried, slamming her hands down on the table rattling it and drawing some attention to them.

"No?" Ozzy questioned while raising a brow. "Makes perfect sense to me," he shrugged. "By keeping yourself unattached as much as possible, it'll cause and easy break up for anyone. I mean what guy wants a girl crying on him, making him feel sorry?"

"He's not like that," Musa whispered.

"How do you know? He seems quit detached lately towards you. If I hadn't been told, I would have never suspected you two were a...what do you kids call it now? Item? Couple?"

"So what are you trying to say?" the wolf A.I. asked softly.

"Not much," the bespectacled man shrugged, "just reminding you that in any relationship there has to be an equal amount of give and take from each participating in said relationship."

"You don't think Odd is doing his part?" the lightning wielding warrior questioned.

"Did I say that?"

"You seem to be implying it."

"Or maybe you're reading into this all wrong." With a shrug he took off his glasses and wiped them off. "Maybe you could be the one that is not doing her part in the relationship."

The wolf A.I. was about to respond back when a cup of hot chocolate was placed before her.

"I hope we didn't take too long," Anita smiled as she sat another hot chocolate in front of Ozzy before she and Aelita took their seats.

"No worries. Musa and I had an interesting talk about the dynamics of Japanese orientated instruments. It would be interesting to use some of these instruments for when the band is performing one of your so called 'J-Pop' style songs," Ozzy lied smoothly. "Isn't that right, Utada?"

"Hai," Musa nodded, drinking her hot chocolate. It tasted bitter and did not warm her as it should of have.

"Oh, look!" Aelita said pointing out the window. The snow had stopped falling, the sky letting the eternal diamonds in the sky shine brightly down.

"Wonderful!" Anita said clapping her hands. "As soon as we are done with our drinks, Ozzy and I will drive you two back to the hotel. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Thank you," Aelita smiled grateful before taking a drink of her hot chocolate, savoring the taste while Musa continued to stare at hers. Suddenly, she wanted to prolong the trip back to the hotel as much as possible.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Ulrich grumbled as he punched his pillow mercilessly. He couldn't help it. He needed some way to alleviate his stress from his father. Why couldn't he just understand? He was a kid! With all his duties to school and the gang his father had still said he needed to do more.

"_Maybe if he knew that I saved the world on a daily basses then he would cut me some slack," _the boy thought before shaking his head. "_Nah, he would probably say that I needed to get better, that I needed to save the universe."_

The boy sighed as he turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling above his head. He had immediately gone to his room after the private conversation he had had with his father. These types of conversations always managed to tire him out to no end and his father didn't look any better, but how was Ulrich to show any sympathy to the man? He criticized and scrutinized him, always demanding more even if that is truly all he could do.

"_Was he ever a kid?" _he wondered to himself. The boy chuckled dryly. "_Probably came out stiff."_

His father's words floated back to his mind. "_You need to stop hanging around these hooligans and start to focus. They're all just holding you down especially that Goth Asian girl."_

Ulrich grumbled again, running his hand through his hair. Why couldn't his father understand the simple concept of friends? The boy had long ago wondered if the man had any friends to begin with but today, he was surprised when he saw Ken act so casual around his father. It was strange seeing the two completely different men interact but then again, Ken pretty much got along with everyone, just like his son. "_I hope the saying 'like father, like son' doesn't apply with me and my dad."_

Feeling the need to go shower himself of the negativity that his father always seemed to dump on him, the brunette got up, walking out of his room towards the bathroom. He was just about to enter when the door opened, a wet Odd. It wouldn't have been strange if it wasn't for the fact Odd was still wearing his clothes and that the top part were soaked.

"Did you fall into the bathtub or something?" Ulrich grinned, but the mirth left his face when he saw the expression on his best friend's face. "Odd…what's wrong?"

The blonde looked down at his feet before turning his head back up to face the boy, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Nothing, good buddy! I just kind of splashed a lot of water on myself when I was washing my face."

Ulrich look skeptical but at the moment he didn't feel like arguing with anyone else. He nodded to his friend before stepping into the bathroom, missing the utterly depressed look that came upon his friends face.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was?" Yumi yelled angrily at the two younger boys sitting on the couch before her. She paced angrily back and forth. Her parents had retired to their separate hotel rooms, feeling exhausted after scolding and punishing Hiroki and Johnny for lying about an emergency. They were banned from the slopes, with Jim's help, for a good portion of the trip. Yumi, on the other hand, wasn't tired and had a lot of energy to use up yelling at the two.

"I really don't understand you Hiroki! For you to make mom and dad rush over here by saying that you- that _I_ was hurting myself is such a horrible, unforgiveable thing! Did you even think about what you were doing? Did you have a plan? I mean, mom and dad's relationship is unstable as it is. We don't need you making it worst!"

Hiroki, who had had enough, stood up from his seat, staring his sister in the eyes. "Okay, I know, what I did _was _stupid, but what are _you _doing?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" the geisha warrior asked confused and still angry.

"At least I'm trying to get them back together. You're not doing a thing!"

"Hiroki," Johnny said unsure, placing a hand on his fuming friends' shoulder. The Japanese boy shrugged it off, still glaring at his sister.

"I'm not doing a thing?" Yumi repeated looking down, her shoulders shaking before she looked angrily at Hiroki with tears in her eyes. "I've done everything to keep this family together! I've tried! Believe me I've tried! But you know what, Hiroki? This is real life!" she said bitterly. "Things don't always get a happily ever after and mom and dad may never get back together!" she yelled.

She instantly regretted her words when she saw the boy's look of hate and anger in his eyes. "I hate you!" he yelled. "You're the worst sister ever! Just go and die!" he yelled running to his room so he could let the tears fall freely.

Yumi looked at the remaining boy. Johnny, who once looked at her with admiration, looked extremely disappointed as he silently led her to the door out of their suite. The geisha warrior watched as the boy closed the door, an air of finality surrounding it and then, she knew as she collapsed to her knees sobbing.

Her family was broken and she wasn't sure how to fix it.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Using stealth that only a ninja could acquire, a figure opened the balcony doors of Odd Della Robbia's room. The chilling night air hit the sleeping boy causing him to shiver slightly in his sleep before the door was closed. Kiwi raised his head, staring at the figure with confusion before in the end, the dog relaxed, sensing familiarity from the being.

The figure walked over to Odd's bed, raising their hand to awaken the boy but before they could even touch him the boy's eyes snapped open, focusing on them. "I heard you opening the door," he replied sitting up in bed.

Musa sighed. "I thought I was quite. Your improved hearing must be due to the virtualization devices side effects."

The boy nodded, making room for her to sit down next to him but she remained standing. "Look, Odd, I just wanted to say that-"

"I'm sorry."

"Nani?" the girl asked confused.

"I'm sorry," Odd repeated. "I honestly didn't mean what I said and I didn't mean to hurt you like that. Can you forgive me?"

Musa nodded. "I already did."

"Great!" the boy grinned feeling some of the weight on his shoulders lift.

"I also want to apologize. You were still right. I don't understand what's going on between you and your mother and it wasn't my place to ask."

"Musa-"

"Let me finish, please," she begged him with her eyes. He nodded. "Since I came to Earth, I learned a lot more things then I could ever learn being stuck in the super computer and much of that is thanks to you. But…I still feel like there still much like I still don't understand and you helped me see that and I'll never forget what you've done for me. I realized that I've leaned on you a lot, not really taking that much into consideration on what you want or need. You've always been my support, Odd but…" she said turning away

"What are you saying?" Odd asked fearful. He got up, placing both hands on the side of her face and making her look at him with her tearful eyes. His heart was breaking even before she spoke again.

"I love you Odd but, I-I don't … I don't think this is working. I think...I think we should break up."

* * *

I bet you I'm gonna get at least two reviewers threatening to kill me for the last part. It had to be done though. That guy who Musa was talking to is important so remeber him.

Oh! I saw the new Hulk movie and it was AWESOME! So much better than that movie they made about five years ago. It almost as good as Iron Man!

Um, yeah...so nothing more to say and while I run away from the people threatening to kill me...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	25. Surprise, Surprise: What Goes Around

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or the song "What Goes Around, Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and any other characters.**

**Surprise, Surprise: What Goes Around Comes Back to Hit You in the Face**

"This wasn't the time to do this," Anita stared coldly at Ozzy. The man looked impatiently away.

"It had to be done," he murmured softly. "She needs to focus if she wants to survive."

"No, it did not. Just because you're a bitter old man doesn't mean you have to make them that way too!" the woman said angrily from the passenger seat.

"I still love you," he whispered.

Anita looked at him harshly before her gaze softened. She rubbed her arms absentmindedly. "A younger me would instantly say that same thing back to you, but now…I don't know," she said getting out of the car and walking to the hotel's door.

Ozzy turned and looked out of his window, towards the woods, thinking. "Those simple words..." he muttered softly, "don't mean anything."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**Dream**_

_A young girl laughed in delight as she played in the snow, her cheeks a rosy red. "Look at my giant snowball, Mommy!" she giggled before she continued to pat the large ball of snow in front of her._

_"Stay near the house, darling," a woman called out while smiling softly at her daughter. She leaned further into the embrace of her husband._

_"Well done, my angel," the man called out, enjoying the moment of peace, but it would soon be broken._

_Howls filled the air. _

_The girl gasped, as she turned around to face a growling wolf. She whimpered in fear before she noticed that the wolf wasn't looking at her but at something behind her. She turned around to see two men in black suits staring intimidating at her._

_"Lana!" the father cried at the wolf. "Get Aelita and the others and run!" The man was pulled apart from his wife by more men in black._

_"Aelita!" the woman cried as she was dragged by the men. _

_The wolf tried to pull on the young girl's coat but released it when it realized it was surrounded. It growled defensively, ready to pounce._

_"Mommy!" the girl cried out running towards the car where her mother was in. _

_"Aelita," her mother cried as the car pulled away. The girl fell to her knees as her mother was driven off. She began to cry, not noticing the wolf walking towards her with a slight limp._

_"Rose and Leon are taking care of the others," the man sighed, the right sleeve of his jacket completely torn off and a blossoming bruise begin on his left cheek._

_"They took mommy," the girl sniffed as tears began to fall._

_A reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder. "We'll get her back," an almost toneless voice reassured. The young pink hair girl looked up, jade green eyes meeting blue-green ones. "I promise."_

_"What did they want?" the pink hair girl looked at her father._

_"They're not getting it," the toneless voice said suddenly looking at Hopper with guarded eyes. "We'll find another way to get mother out of this but…they're not getting what I was put through pain and agony to have..."_

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Aelita eyes adjusted to the dim light of her room. She looked at the digital clock on the stand next to her bed. 2: 30 a.m. It was still too early to get up but she couldn't go back to sleep.

"_Was that dream…real?" _she wondered. The events that happened didn't seem possibly or make much sense but…it seemed real enough. But if it was real, then the facts about Musa and Cascada that she had learned…were wrong. "_They wouldn't lie to us, to me…would they?" _

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The silence of the room was broken by incoherent grumbles and cries. Sitara was awakened from her sleep by these noises. She sat up in her bed and looked across the room where Musa was sleeping. The girl was moving around in her bed, looking troubled in her sleep.

"Odd," Musa murmured as a tear fell from her closed eye, leaving a wet trail down her cheek. A soft breeze had her turn towards the window to see that it was once again open after she and Musa had closed it. She walked over towards it, shivering as she closed the latch. When the mute turned around she saw that she wasn't the only one worried about Utada's trouble sleep.

Void sat on the edge of the wolf A.I.'s bed. Sitara watched in silence as he raised a hesitating hand towards the sleeping girl before placing it on her exposed hand. The girl settled down quickly after but she still wore a troubled expression. Void spent a few more minutes with his hand over Musa's with Sitara watching, gently stroking it, before getting up.

He walked towards Sitara who was still standing in front of the window. The mysterious A.I. stopped once he was a little past her. The windows flew open and the scarf she had left for him danced in the wind around his neck. She smiled softly at the sight. She didn't dare to turn around as she felt a light caress of fingers against her hand before it pulled away, much to her dissapointment.

"Take care of her for me," his breath hot against her chilled skin. She nodded and then the wind stopped its dance. She turned around to see nothing but the night sky and the empty grounds outside her window. She closed them once again and turned to see the once asleep girl was now awakened.

The mute waited for the girl to say something; to interrogate her about her stagnant relationship with Void. What she said surprised her.

"Sitara?" the girl called out softly, barely audible as she stared down at her hands. "Can you-?" Musa wasn't able to finish her question as a large lump formed in her throat, fresh tears falling. Deangelo didn't need to hear the rest of her friend's question. She already knew.

Walking over towards the other girl's bed she pulled back the covers before slipping in. She pulled Musa down so she was lying next to her before covering them both with the sheets. Musa sniffed, looking for comfort once again as she took Sitara's hand. The caramel eye girl gently stroke her friend's hair just like Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey had done many times with her till they both drifted off to sleep.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_**Cascada's P.O.V.**_

Well, now I know where Odd gets his insane energy from. Maria was working like a mad woman running across her hotel room that she had some how transformed into a design room. You would say that I was unfortunate to be forced to work with this woman while she was on her tenth cup of coffee but actually, I really liked it.

Visuals have always been my specialty, as I told her before, so I was eager to help her design the clothes for the party tonight. Emma and Sissi had offered to help us, more like beg on Sissi's part, but…they just got in the way. It's really freaky how well Maria understands me and I mean that both fashion wise and personality wise.

I was comfortable around her and found myself telling her things that I wouldn't even tell Mrs. Dunbar whom I also feel close to. I've told her a lot about my life, excluding parts about Lyoko and me being a artificial intelligence of course, but everything else, like my seemingly fractious relationship with William, my ever burdening duty of being a good, selfless, older sister for not only Aelita and Musa but for most of the group, and the strange dream I had when I was possessed.

It really spooked me out. It seemed so real, but how could it be? The only time I've ever been to earth before my encounter with the others was when Hopper and mother were testing the scanners. So how could the dream possibly be real? How could I have possibly killed an innocent child so easily?

"Dreams are strange things," Maria murmured while using a sewing machine to intricately stitch the hem of one of the dresses. "They tell us things that we may not even remember; people that we've met and lost or hidden ambitions. It's up to the dreamer to try to make sense of what they're dreaming lest they wanted to be haunted by uncertainties and fear."

I nodded. I guess that made sense. A comfortable silence swept over us.

"Hey, bella?" Maria called out.

"Yes?" I asked looking up from my own stitching. Maria had stopped and was staring at one of the finished dresses. It was an off the shoulder dress with separated flowing sleeves. The bodice of the dress was a light blue till it reached the waist where a black ribbon was tied around it. The bottom of the dress, as it got longer, became darker till it reached the hem where it was a beautiful midnight blue color. This was Musa's dress.

"Tell me about your sister and my son's relationship," she said softly.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't say that opposites attract for their situation. They have quite a great deal in common that it's almost scary, but that doesn't mean they don't have their differences too. While Muse is more likely to hold a grudge and lose her temper, Odd is surprisingly different. Though it does seem that he's a jump in head first type of guy, there are occasions where he takes things slow to enjoy the moment and I've never seen him hold a grudge against someone. All in all, I guess they're the perfect fairy tale couple."

"Really?" Maria asked getting up and staring out the window. "Do you really believe in such things, Cascada?"

"I think that if a couple tried hard enough and tried to work for the benefit of each other, that anything is possible. Though the outcome may not end up in a romantic relationship, hopefully, the bonds they made along the way will still stand as a strong friendship," I answered.

"That's a nice little theory," Maria nodded before turning to me. "But how many couples do you know that are like that? That still want to be friends?"

"One," I said absolute.

"Well, consider you and the couple lucky to be able to testify for your theory. As for everyone else in the world, it's not so easy. But, let's keep an eye on Odd and Musa. Maybe they'll prove me wrong," Maria smiled.

_"They will," _I thought confidently. Oh how a fool I was…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"JEREMY!"

The blonde looked up from his seat at the computer towards the pink hair girl of his dreams. She rushed over to him, taking in his disheveled clothes and hair and also the smell coming from him. Aelita had been looking everywhere for him and was surprised and angry to find that he was still in the lab.

"Oh!" she said covering her nose. "Have you left the lab in the last two days?"

"To go to the bathroom," the boy shrugged, about to turn around back to the computer when Aelita stopped him.

"No!" she said angrily. "You're going to get up, come back with me to the hotel eat, take a shower, and get ready for the party.

"But Aelita-"

The boy was cut off as the winged warrior's hand connected with the flesh of his cheek sending a resounding clap throughout the silent lab. He looked at the girl. Her head was down and she was shaking terribly.

"You can't keep doing this," she said softly. "We always joke about this but you're honestly going to kill yourself if you keep this up and I don't know- I don't know…" She trailed off as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. He sat there, not knowing what to do.

Was he being selfish? Were his own goals of succeeding hurting his princess? He sighed wrapping his arms around her. "That won't happen. I promise…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_So why your love went away  
I just can't seem to understand  
Thought it was me and you babe  
Me and you until the end  
But I guess I was wrong_

Music played lowly, the radio turned onto some American song. He wasn't paying attention to it too much, yet, it oddly fitted his mood. Odd stared unseeingly at his ceiling, the memory, like a wound, still bleeding fresh in his memory.

_Don't want to think about it  
Don't want to talk about it  
I'm just so sick about it  
Can't believe it's ending this way_

"_I don't think this is working. I think...I think we should break up"_

_Just so confused about it  
Feeling the blues about it  
I just can't do without ya  
Tell me is this fair?_

"What went wrong?" he questioned softly. "What couldn't I give her?"

_Is this the way it's really going down?  
Is this how we say goodbye?_

"Her smile….was it really a frown?"

_Should've known better when you came around  
That you were gonna make me cry_

"Her laugh…was it really a sob?" he looked down at his faithful dog that he had had since he was younger. "What did I do wrong Kiwi?"

_It's breaking my heart to watch you run around  
'Cause I know that you're living a lie_

"Or did she find someone else? Maybe a more serious guy?" An image of a certain blind boy and Musa flashed in his mind. "_No!" _he thought bolting up in his bed. "It can't be…" he whispered. "Can it? How long…?"

_Now girl, I remember everything that you claimed  
You said that you were moving on now  
And maybe I should do the same  
Funny thing about that is  
I was ready to give you my name  
Thought it was me and you, babe  
And now, it's all just a shame  
And I guess I was wrong_

_**Before…**_

"Y-you can't be serious," Odd said reaching out to her but she took a step back, crossing her arms defensively over her chest as she looked anywhere but at him.

"I am," she said softly.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing!" she yelled tears falling out her eyes. "You did…nothing…I'm sorry, but…I just can't handle this," she said before running out of his room, figuratively throwing his heart that he had given her back in his face in a million pieces.

_Don't want to think about it (no)  
Don't want to talk about it  
I'm just so sick about it  
Can't believe it's ending this way  
Just so confused about it  
Feeling the blues about it (yeah)  
I just can't do without ya  
Tell me is this fair?_

_**Now…**_

The cat warrior suddenly got up from his bed, startling Kiwi. He walked towards the door that entered the rest of the suite before exiting and heading to the elevators. He was heading towards the girls' suite.

_You cheated girl  
My heart bleeded girl  
So it goes without saying that you left me feeling hurt  
Just a classic case  
A scenario  
Tale as old as time_

Sissi sighed. "Utada! Stop mopping around! Don't you have a party to get ready for?" she asked the raven hair girl on the couch. Musa had dyed her hair totally black earlier this morning and Sissi thought it was strange to see the girl without any wild hair color. For some reason, that alone depressed her along with the depressed vibe she was getting from the girl.

This wasn't really helping her already foul mood at all. She really wanted to go to the party but the tickets were expensive and unless you had connections you couldn't get in. She had hoped that being nicer to the gang they would maybe give her a ticket, but alas, it was all for naught.

The principal's daughter was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard a knocking on the door.

"I guess I'll get that," Sissi sighed again. She walked over towards the door and looked out the peep hole. "It's Odd," she said about to open the door.

"Wait!" Musa cried springy to her feet. "Tell him I'm not here!"

"What? Why?" Sissi asked confused.

"Please Sissi!" Musa beg. "I'll pay you back! I promise!"

"Fine," Sissi agreed though somewhat confused. Musa nodded before running to her room. Taking a deep breath, Delmas's daughter opened the door to the grinning jokester. "Musa's not here, Oddball," she greeted.

"Good," the boy's grin said growing bigger, "because I didn't want to talk to her," he said stepping in.

Musa held back a gasp as she listened through the door. What was Odd doing?

_Girl you got what you deserved_

"Want to go as my date to the party?" he asked extending out a ticket to a shocked Sissi.

_And now you want somebody  
To cure the lonely nights  
You wish you had somebody  
That could come and make it right_

_But girl I ain't somebody with a lot of sympathy  
You'll see_

Musa held a trembling hand over her mouth as silent tears fell. "_Why am I crying? I brought this upon myself. This is how it was supposed to be…maybe…maybe someone else will be able to do what I couldn't…maybe someone will be able to see the true Egen," _she thought. A trembling hand rose to her chest, her heart aching. "_Maybe he'll find someone stronger than I am."_

_What goes around comes back around__…_

"Tonight shall be interesting. Don't you think so? Esen? Void?" their leader asked.

"Of course," Esen replied for both herself and her silent partner.

"Well then, let's get on with the show," the man chuckled.

* * *

Damn. If you guys didn't want to kill me before you must really want to now... Ugh...got of think of something so I wont be poked by sharp objects...uh... great, my brain just died on me. Guess I better start running.

The song I just added on a whim. It was really freaky actually. I had my I-pod on shuffle when I was writing this part and it magically landed on this song. No Lie! Anyway, this isn't all the lyrics. I took some liberties and just used the lyrics that kind of fit. The part that I used for Aelita's dream is based on the episode "Distant Memory". This is my take on it since some of the events of the last season of the show don't take place in the timeline of this story.

Um...since my life is at stake, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_** If you don't, I'll do the unthinkable...Odd and Sissi...KISSING! Mwahaaaa! I'm truely evil aren't I?


	26. To Jump and Fly Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey. They belong to HoboLover. I also don't own the song following. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any character that wasn't in the original show.**

**To Jump and Fly is Good, but to Jump and Fall is Even Better- Part 1**

_**Years Ago…**_

_Memories are always beautiful  
In the eyes of everyone  
In the same way  
_

Swinging. Swinging. Swinging. That's all she did.

While the other kids played ball with each other, or hide-n-seek, she swung, the only enjoyable thing to do at the park when one had no friends, no family, no past…

The other children's laughter seemed to cut her like a knife. They weren't alone. She was. They weren't afraid. She was. They…didn't want to die. She did.

"Oi, why are you swinging by yourself, Shorty?" a voice asked

She bowed her head further down. They always did this. They always teased her, especially when she wouldn't talk.

"Are you okay?" another voice asked concerned.

"_They don't care," _she thought holding back tears.

Her swing was pushed gently, surprising her. As it swung back, she looked behind her to see a girl with coral pink color hair smiling at her. "Nothing's wrong with Tara. She was just sad that we took too long to finally come here and play with her. Right?" the pink hair girl asked grinning at the confused girl on the swing.

_"Why is this girl talking like she knows me? Like we're friends?" _the girl thought to herself.

_But, yes  
We actually know  
That there is more  
_

"Oh, is that it?" the first voice said coming from a girl brownish red hair girl twirling a sucker between her fingers. "Sorry. Zoey couldn't decide on what to wear."

"Yeah," the pink hair girl nodded frowning. "Brooke clothe raped me and Cassie didn't help."

"It got ya dressed didn't it?" the reddish brown hair girl, Brooke, scoffed.

"I try not to get in fights that don't involve me," a brunette hair girl, Cassie, said.

"_Why are they acting so casual? Like we're old friends?"_

"Hey, Sitara, is your butt glue to that thing?" Brooke asked pointing to the swing.

_"My name isn't Sitara…" _but nonetheless she shook her head.

"Great!" Zoey said happily. "We can go get some ice-cream! Let's go Tara!" she yelled excitedly dragging the girl to the neatest ice-cream shop, Cassie and Brooke following.

"_Maybe…maybe I won't be alone anymore…Sitara…starlight…I like it…"_

_Please don't forget  
Me, that girl and you_

Unknown to the girl, a boy was observing from the distance, wanting to join in on their fun, but knowing he couldn't. It just…wasn't possible. But at least he could give her some happiness with friends that could be there for her.

_We were not born to live  
Just putting on a front  
And hiding a face  
Like the dead_

_**Present…**_

The guest danced gracefully across the ballroom. The women wore beautiful dresses and the men were dressed in sharp tuxedoes, both wearing elegant masks. The room was wonderfully decorated with red and gold.

The singer on stage wore a beautiful blue dress with a matching simple, but beautifully crafted, silver mask that covered the top part of her face. Her raven hair was curled and put into a side ponytail that hung over her shoulder, swishing slightly as she continued to sing in her favorite language, Japanese, but even that couldn't get rid of her depressing mood.

_We can look back on the past  
Because we passed there  
We stopped and stepped forward again_

A male wearing a purple mask and dark purple tuxedo, absentmindedly played his guitar, letting the hours of repetitive rehearsals take over as he discreetly stared at the singer. His heart clenched in his chest forcing him to turn away and look, instead, at the girl sitting off in the audience. Her black hair was swept back and she wore a pale colored dress. She could never compare at all to the enchanting singer that had broken his heart.

_Please remember  
Me, that girl and you_

It was…simply unimaginable. The rest of the gang, including the recently aloof William, couldn't believe it.

They had broken up. The match that was supposedly made in heaven, had broken up. It just seemed…so surreal.

"_What caused you to break up with him?" _Cascada wondered, fingers moving across her violin.

_We got hurt  
Even lost sight of light  
And gave up more than once  
But still we are here  
_

"You can hear it in her voice," Cassie murmured, absentmindedly playing with the three earrings on her ear. She wore a sleeveless red dress that stopped under her knees.

"The sorrow," Brooke agreed leaning against the wall in her ice blue dress.

"So sad," Zoey commented rocking back in forth on her heels, her green dress her sea-foam green dress swaying back and forth.

Cassie sighed sadly though a determined look was on her face. "All the easier it'll be for us in the end."

"I hate doing this," Zoey muttered, fist clenching at her side.

"It'll be over soon, and then we can have what we worked so hard to protect," Brooke said looking up to see Sitara, wearing a orange dress that blended to yellow, coming towards them, holding four cups in her hands.

"Wow! Thanks Tara!" Zoey grinned, putting on a happy face for their friend as she took onw of the cups from her.

"_We'll protect you…always…"_

___**CODE TWILIGHT**_

To anyone else, the guitarist's solo accompanied by the singer's hauntingly beautiful voice showed the perfect union, but the person observing wasn't anyone else. They knew that this was wrong. That what happened shouldn't have, but it did. Even though he hadn't totally approved of it at first (not like he had any say in it at all to begin with) but what she had was better than what was going to happen. He needed to do something.

"Is something wrong, Terran?" the crimson dressed Nyx asked. The boy continued to keep his head down, appearing to stare at the drink in his hand from behind his dark glasses.

"No," he said pushing himself away from the wall and beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" Nyx said suddenly grabbing the boy's hand. He didn't turn around as she tried to catch her breath. "Will you- will you save a dance for me?" she asked.

The boy slipped his hand from her grasp, tilting his head slightly to face in another direction. Nyx looked in that direction, a slight scowl appearing on her face when she saw that his attention was directed towards Sitara who was being swung around by Zoey in a petty attempt at a dance.

"Why don't you just ask her to dance?" Nyx bitterly asked softly looking away from Terran as he returned his attention back to her.

"Dance?" he sighed extending out a hand to her.

The slightly older female blushed before taking his hand as he led her onto the dance floor.

_Now, let's stand up without fear  
For the sake of no one else  
_

The singer raised her hands up to her mask, loosening the ties of the item, letting it fall into her hands.

_And rip off the masks  
With our own hands_

She walked over towards the guitarist, as the soft sound, similar to a music box played. She raised her hands up to his mask, his guarded violet eyes watching her warily as she untied the ties. She felt his hands on hers as he guided her hands on hers, taking off his mask, his touch light and the feeling and sensations lingering on her skin. The mask slipped off from his face and from her hands.

His eyes continued to stare at her as she leaned in towards him, their faces close to each other. So close…

They pulled away quickly as the beat picked up again. The spell broken.

_We were not born to live  
Just putting on a front  
And hiding a face  
Like the dead  
_

Another quick guitar solo before the song returned to the haunting sound of a music box, followed by applause.

The band filed off the stage where Jeremy, Ken and Chris waited for them.

"That was great guys," Ken grinned. "You guys left a good impression on these stuck up rich folks."

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "You could hardly tell that Musa and Odd weren't together anymore with that one part." The group got silent and the white hair drummer realized his mistake. "Oh, uh, sorry. I didn't mean-"

"William nii-san! The orchestra is playing! Come dance with me!" the wolf A.I. said suddenly, grinning as she took the unsuspecting shaggy hair teen by his hand and dragged him into the thick crowd till they were out of sight.

Odd stuffed his hands in his pocket, heading off. "I'm going to see if my date wants something to drink," he said over his shoulder.

"Too weird," Yumi murmured.

"You're telling me," Ulrich grunted removing his brown and green mask. He turned to face the geisha warrior, dressed in an Asian style short sleeve black dress with gold and red stitching of a dragon on it and a gold mask resting on the top of her head. "You wanna dance?"

"Sure," she shrugged about to take his offered hand when someone stepped in the way.

"Do you mind if I ask her for a dance?" Evan asked his son. The boy grew tense but Yumi gave him a reassuring smile.

"Fine," he grumbled. His father nodded before leading Yumi to the dance floor. Ulrich soon after followed.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy called after him.

"To make sure he doesn't criticize her," the samurai warrior called over his shoulder before he too disappeared.

"Well, we'll leave you three to enjoy the rest of the ball. Don't forget to meet back here in thirty minutes," Ken directed before walking off with Chris.

"I guess I'll go hang out by the terrace," Cascada sighed shaking her hair free from the forest green mask that matched her one sleeve dress.

"Do you want us to come?" Aelita asked readjusting her hot pink mask that also matched her knee length pink dress.

"No," the plant A.I. said. "Go have fun with Jer. Dance a little, live a lot," she said walking off. "Just don't do anything that I would do," she called over her shoulder.

Both teens blushed.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Wow, Will. I didn't know you were such a horrible dancer!"

The shaggy hair teen frowned as he gave a muffled response.

"You're stepping on my toes. Was Cascada leading when you two danced together at the dance where we first performed together?"

"If we're going to talk, can we talk about something else?" William asked.

"Sure," Musa shrugged, "but I'm leading."

The two danced in silence, the large sword wielding warrior letting the wolf A.I. lead. "So," William began in an inquiring tone, "you and Odd are no longer a couple?"

"So," Musa said, matching his tone, "you've been distant lately, huh?"

"Musa," the boy sighed.

"How about this," the girl said. "We play 20 questions, ball room dance style. We each ask each other a question until this song is over. Agree?"

"Fine. Odd broke up with you?"

"No. Did you and Cascada break up?"

"No!" the boy said startled by her question. "Why would you think that?" he said forgetting the initial goal.

Musa shrugged. "Spin me," she directed. "It just seems that way. You two were always discreet about your relationship but it was like under the table hand holding. Now, it seems, you can barely stand to be in the same room with her. Did she do something wrong?"

_**"Of course not!" **_Leon shouted in the recesses of William's mind only for the boy to hear.

"No," the boy said simply an irritating look coming on his face. "Why did Odd break up with you?"

Musa sighed sadly, turning her head away slightly, "Dip me," she said. The boy gently did as he was told before straightening her back up. "He didn't break up with me," she said as they continued to move across the dance floor neither aware that William had began to lead again without any mistakes; "I broke up with him."

"Why?" William asked confused.

"Ah, ah, ah," the girl said tsking. "It's my turn to ask. If you and Cascada are still together then why the whole distant thing? Cas is really worried about you."

"She is?"

Musa nodded before pulling away, the song ending. "Well, thanks for the dance Big Bro!" she grinned cheekily though they both knew it was fake.

"No problem," the boy shrugged. Musa was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed her arm.

**"A heart isn't something to full with and it can't be deceived," **he said in a strange tone. He stared deeply into her eyes before releasing her.

Slightly spooked the girl nodded before hurrying away. The boy watched her go before bringing a hand up to his head and shaking it angrily.

"Don't ever do that again," he growled lowly to himself causing a few partiers to draw their attention to him.

_**"You weren't of much help to her. She needed guidance, not someone who can't even see their own relationship deteriorating in front of them!" **_Leon snapped.

"Shut the hell up," he said angrily pushing through the small crowd of guest whom looked nervous at his seemingly one way conversation. "I need air," he sighed to himself as he made his way to the balcony.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Yumi wondered if he could feel her shaking. How could she not be? She was after all dancing with the father of the guy she loved; the same father who never hesitated to say how unworthy she was to be friends with, let alone dating, his son.

She dared a glance at the man before realizing that he was looking scrutinizing at her. She quickly turned her head away to look at the other dancers at on the dance floor only to see Ulrich…dancing with Mrs. Dunbar.

"_Kami help me," _she thought as Evan Stern cleared his throat to catch her attention. She looked up at him with hesitative eyes.

"You're very graceful, Ms. Ishiyumi," he said, saying her name incorrectly though she wasn't even sure if his compliment was genuine.

"It's Ishiyama. Yumi Ishiyama," she corrected, "and I've taken martial arts lessons so that may have helped."

"Have you ever seen my son fight?" the man asked.

"Well, I've fought him a couple of times," she said.

"Really?" he asked, his tone, nor expression, giving away what he really thought. "You must have felt disheartened when you were defeated."

"Actually, sir, I've beat him on most of our fights," the geisha warrior said sounding unsure as his face slightly darkened.

"Well," he said after a while, "I'm sure Ulrich went easy on you and I guess that's only to be expected from the Chinese."

"I'm Japanese and he didn't go easy," she said irritated. She hated when people confused her nationality. Her culture was something she took great pride out of though it may not always appear that. Also, she didn't like to be thought of as weak.

"Oh, excuse me," he apologized.

They continued to dance, Yumi hoping that the song would end. On a few occasions, she would catch sight of Ulrich who seemed to be talking to Emma while they dance. Sometimes they would look over towards them, Ulrich gazing at her, scowling at his father before returning his attention back to Mrs. Dunbar and shaking his head at something she had said.

"My son seems to be infatuated with you," the graying brunette suddenly said.

"We _are_ dating each other, sir," Yumi said, already having an idea as to where this was going.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, but you should know that infatuation is only good while it's new. Sooner or later you two will eventual breakup."

"I'm sorry, _sir_," the Japanese girl said, "but you're wrong. Ulrich and I love each other!" she said with a faint hint of a blush but she still held strong.

"Someone as young as you wouldn't know the meaning of such a complex subject such as love," Evan frowned.

"And someone as cold hearted as you wouldn't know the meaning either," the girl said bitterly. The man was about to respond back angrily when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.

He stopped to look over his shoulder to see Emma smiling at him with Ulrich frowning behind her. "You wouldn't mind if we switched partners, would you? I'm afraid that if I keep dancing with this handsome and respectful young man here people will think of me as a crib stealer."

"No," Mr. Stern said after taking a deep breath. "Of course not," he said handing over Yumi to his son before taking Emma's hand.

"You okay?" Ulrich asked as they danced a safe distance away from his father.

"Ulrich," Yumi whispered looking into his brown eyes, "promise not to turn out like him."

The boy smiled softly, bringing her closer. "I promise."

Emma and Evan were having their own discussion.

"Your son is a really charming boy," Emma said, "and Yumi is a very intelligent and beautiful young woman. I can understand why they're so attracted to each other."

"It's only puppy love," Evan proclaimed. "I give them another month before they get tired of each other."

The woman sighed. "You're so pessimistic. You were never this way when we were younger."

"Things change."

"There are plenty of other people who are in your position and they still are optimistic," Emma said.

The man stopped. "If you excuse me, I'm getting tired," he said walking off.

"You need to tell him sometime. Your son deserves to know before it's too late," Emma said after his retreating figure. She sighed before turning towards the direction where Yumi and Ulrich were. "If anyone can convince him to stop being so thick," she murmured, "it'll have to be you two."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Once he was out in the cool crisp air, he took a deep breath, expecting to breathe in refreshing crisp mountain air; instead, all he got was mouth full of cigarette smoke that sent him into a slight coughing spree. He cleared his throat, turning his head to look for the source of the smoke. He saw a puff of smoke being blown from around the corner and went to investigate it, out of annoyance more than anything else.

When he turned the corner, he was surprised at what he saw.

"Cascada!"

"William!" the girl said, startled, dropping the cigarette on the ground. She stumped on it, making it go out before turning towards her questionable boyfriend. "What are you doing here?" she asked straightening her back out and trying to stand taller then she felt.

"I could ask you the same thing," Dunbar said narrowing his eyes at her.

"Don't give me that look," she said annoyed, kicking the stumped cigarette butt. "I was only trying it to see if it would help me relax," she said leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes before reopening them, looking at him. "Maybe you could use one. You seem tense."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just forget about it?" he asked trying to keep his anger under control.

"Yes," she replied coolly. "Now if you excuse me," she began about to step around him.

"You're so selfish."

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"You heard me."

"I did," she said facing him with her hands on her hips, "and I'm hoping you were talking to yourself."

"So what? Are you saying I'm the one who is being selfish?"

"Yes."

Within the time span of two seconds, Cascada found herself pushed against the wall, William's iron grip holding her arms down. She stared heatedly into the boy's dark eyes. "Don't talk about me being selfish," he hissed angrily at her. "All it's ever been is you, you, you!"

"_**Watch yourself. You're stepping into dangerous waters," **_Leon warned.

Cascada growled angrily, green sparks beginning to spark angrily at her fingertips. "Me? Even if I am selfish I deserve to be! I've given up everything for everyone else without asking for anything! Also, you shouldn't be trying to degrade someone, _Willy_"she said in a mocking tone.

"Me?"

"Yes, but I guess you're too selfish to notice!" the plant A.I. said angrily trying to pull away from his grip. "I'm supposed to be your girlfriend and yet you barely pay any attention to me! Whenever you aren't hiding yourself away from everyone else you're always focusing on Musa and sister or not, I'm tired of that she's always the one you're looking at," she said.

Her words caused him to slacken his grip just enough for her to push him away. She rubbed her arms where his hands had been her down. She could have walked away to leave him in his thoughts but she wasn't done letting her frustrations out yet.

"From the beginning," she said poking him in the chest, "It's always been 'Musa' this, 'Musa' that. Is it so wrong for me to ask for attention? For me to be in the spotlight? For you to only look at me with the same look of pride you look at towards Musa with?"

The boy didn't reply.

"Ugh!" the girl cried angrily shoving him so hard that he fell on his butt before she ran back into the room.

William sat there, contemplating her words. _**"See," **_the other identity said from within him, "_**your selfishness, your desire to not be me, has pushed her away! What are you going to do about that?"**_

"Nothing," the boy muttered shamefully.

_**"You deserve to die."**_

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Sissi sighed, placing her chin in her hand as she watched the beautifully dressed men and women dance. Most had removed their masks that to a certain point became irritating to wear and were scattered across the floor.

"Something wrong?" Odd asked reaching to tuck a strand of hair out of her face but she slapped his hand away.

"Cut the act, Della Robbia," she said crossing her arms and pinning him down with a stare. "We both know we're just using each other. Me, because I needed a way to get into this party and you, because you wanted to make Utada jealous."

"That's not-" the boy said about to protest before Sissi held up a hand.

"Don't lie. I really don't care but it's obvious you still have feelings for her and vise versa. I mean, on stage it looked like you two were nearly about to kiss."

"We were acting," the cat warrior defended. "It was part of the song."

"It was _supposed _to be acting but it was obvious that both you and Musa both wanted it to happen. Call it a woman's intuition."

"Is this the same woman's intuition that told you that Ulrich loved you when it was obvious he didn't?" Odd asked trying to get her off the subject.

"No," she said frowning, her eye twitching in annoyance, "and don't try to change the subject."

"Whatever," the boy sighed. "Either way, she broke up with me. It's over with. Done."

"Idiot," Sissi sighed rubbing her temples. "That's what all boys are. Idiots."

"Well you're definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed," Odd retorted before getting up.

"Where are you going?" Sissi asked.

"Doesn't matter to you," the boy said over his shoulder.

"What did Utada see in him?" she asked before taking out her cell phone. The party wasn't as exciting as she had expected especially since she hadn't seen her idol, Maria, at all. "I guess I'll see what _my _idiots are doing," she sighed, texting Nicolas and Herve.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Aelita and Jeremy were enjoying each other company. They had danced a little and had a little flirty banter with each other. Everything seemed great and Aelita was happy that her prince was enjoying himself and not worrying about things related to the super computer. That was until his cell phone vibrated.

"Who is it?" Aelita asked.

"I programmed the supercomputer to my cell phone. There's an attack on Lyoko," he said unbelieving.

"Do you think it may be the artificial intelligences from the club?" the pink hair girl asked.

"No way of knowing till we get there," the boy said pulling himself and Aelita up to his feet. That was until Ken walked up towards them.

"Aelita, it's time to get up on stage with the others," he said nodding towards the rest of the gang who were waiting by the stage, minus Odd and Cascada.

"Oh," the girl said nervously. Someone had to go with Jeremy to the lab.

"Hey," Musa said as they walked towards the others. "Have any of you seen Cas or Odd? We're about to play."

"No," Jeremy said shaking his head, "but I have something important to tell you all," he said gaining the groups attention. "A tower on Lyoko is activated."

"What should we do?" Yumi asked. "We can't all just leave."

"I'll go with Jeremy," William said. "The rest of you stay here."

"But wont you need Aelita, Cascada, or Musa to deactivate the tower?" Ulrich asked.

"I figured out how to deactivate the tower without them," Jeremy said. "It's a little tricky and I would rather prefer just deactivating the tower the usual way but it would look too suspicious if any more of us leave, especially since Odd and Cascada aren't here. Besides, the drums are the only instrument we have a back up on."

"I'll go ask, Chris," Musa said, "but Ulrich has to sing."

The boy looked like he was about to protest before thinking about it. "Can I change the song we're playing?" he asked.

"Sure," Musa shrugged before walking off to find their substitute drummer.

"Okay, William and I are going to go, keep an eye out for anything suspicious," William warned.

"Okay," the others agreed.

The computer whiz turned to Aelita and kissed her cheek before he and the sword wielding warrior ran off. "Be safe," the winged warrior whispered.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Kuso," Musa cursed. "Is it rally that hard to find a white hair young guy around here?" Yes, yes it was since most of the guests were quite old, their hair naturally losing its color. Something caught her eye on its way to the balcony. "Odd?" Musa wondered before following the figure. She stepped out into the night air looking for her blonde ex. When she saw a shadowy figure lurking by the corner. "Odd?" she called out towards the shadow before gasping.

That was all she could do before the shadowy figure lashed out and struck, her world going dark.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Odd stood on the roof of the hotel. The boy had come here to think, to be away from all the commotion of the party, to try and forget Sissi's words, and the girl who had broken his heart. It wasn't really helping.

He leaned over the side, hands in his pocket. "That's a long way down," he muttered.

"Quite," a voice agreed. Odd spun around, startled as he stared at the man on the roof with him. "Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I wasn't scared," the boy mumbled stuffing his hands in his pockets again.

The man walked around the boy so he was standing at the edge. "To be able to jump and fly off would be great," he said before turning to the boy. "Don't you think?"

"I guess," Odd shrugged. He felt as if he should leave and get away from this man but he found his feet unable to move.

"But," the man said turning back to the view below him, "to jump and fall is even better."

"I got to go," the cat warrior said about to turn around before the man gripped him tightly by the shoulders.

"Wouldn't you like to test my theory?" the man questioned as a shadow zipped its way towards the boy.

* * *

So yeah. A new chapter! And I'm still alive! Anyway, this is all leading up to something big that's going to happen next chapter. I gave some hints though I'm not sure if they're that prominent, but don't worry! Some things will be revealed and the story will really begin to pick up pace. Also, we'll learn more about the characters and their stroies from the next chapter on. Everything has a reason. Also...something that you guys have been waiting for dealing with Jeremy will probably happen next chapter. Aren't you ecited?

(Random reader) "No!"

(Me) "Well who asked you?"

Anywho, the song above is called "Marionette" by Ayumi Hamasaki. It took me forever to find the english lyrics to this song since it just recently came out, but even before I knew what was really being said I always knew this song would be perfect, not only for Odd and Musa but for Sitara too! But that's something you'll find out about later.

Um...who wants to play a game? I'll give a special sneek peak to anyone who can figure out what song Ulrich will sing next chapter. Here's some clue:

1.) It relates perfectly to the relationship with Ulrich and his father.

2.) This song was made into a collaboration with another song by another well known artisit.

3.) The C.D. this song was on debuted on March 25, 2003.

4.) The original song was performed at the Live Earth concert in Tokyo Japan in July 2007.

5.) The actress in the music video of this song played as the main character in _Step Up 2 The Streets _with Robert Hoffman, Cassie Ventura, Adam G. Sevani, and Telisha Shaw.

LOL! I hope that wasn't too hard. Anyway, I'll be accepting answers till the weekend, June 28th, so hurry if you want a sneak peek! Also, I might give extra hints if the answer you give is wrong but on the right direction. You have up to three chances. Sorry, but this is only open to people who have an account for obvious responding reasons.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	27. To Jump and Fly Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko, or the songs "Imaginery" by Evanescence and "Numb" by Linkin Park. I also do not own Cassie, Brooke, and Zoey. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and any other character that wasn't in the show.**

**To Jump and Fly is Good, but to Jump and Fall is Even Better- Part 2**

_**20 Years Ago**_

She sat alone in the white sterile room being observed from behind a one-sided window where the scientists were watching. She knew they were there. She knew they were watching but why not give them a show?

_In my field of paper flowers,_

She drummed her fingers softly on her swollen stomach, kicking her feet back and forth since they barely touched the floor in the chair she was sitting on while singing to herself….and the life growing within her.

_And candy clouds of lullaby _

She felt a thump from her lower abdomen and smirked as she continued. She imagined everything she was singing, putting pictures to her words.

_I lie inside my self for hours__,  
And watch my purple sky fly over me _

She turned to face the window where she could feel their stares on her and gave them a smile and wave that hid so much anger and pain.

_Don't say I'm out of touch  
With this rampant chaos, your reality  
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge  
The nightmare I built my own world to escape_

The door to the room opened as a bespectacled man entered with a clip board. "Hello," he greeted though it was more of custom than politeness. "Singing are we?"

"Hello, Mr. Schaeffer," she greeted, "and yes, I am singing," she said tilting her head impishly to the side with a grin. "I thought my onlookers," she said nodding towards the one way mirror, "would like it."

"I see," the man nodded before performing the usual check up procedures.

Meanwhile, behind the window….

"D-d-did you see that?" one of the newer scientist asked shocked.

"We all saw it," Professor McArnald, one of the veteran scientist replied, in awe. "We saw her illusion and she purposely showed it to us."

"Why after months would she finally show us willingly?" the green horned scientist asked in confusion.

McArnald frowned, crossing his arms. "To make her threat to us perfectly clear."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Terran was leaning against the balcony rail. Though he couldn't actually see what was around him he put pictures to the sounds he heard.

"_Musa looked beautiful," _he thought remembering the vivid description he had made Nyx tell him.

The orchestra was slowing down, about to end their song so the band could play, meaning he would have to go back in there and perform about two to three more songs before a long boring talk from the head of _Lycoris Incorporated_ before maybe one more song from the band and then the long night would be over.

He sighed, running a hand through his messy white hair before blowing his bangs out of his sunglasses hidden eyes though it wasn't as if it affected his vision. "You look stunning tonight…Sitara" he murmured softly, turning his head towards the girl who let out a squeak of surprise. Yuki turned around, leaning on the rail, facing in the general direction where he knew the girl was standing hesitating. "Come here," he said extending out his hand to her.

He felt a small hand placed in his before enclosing his larger one around hers. He tugged her gently forwards before guiding her other hand to his shoulder and then placing his on the small of her back. He felt a shiver run up her back as he began to lead that had nothing to do with the chilly night. He felt her stumble as she tried to match his pace and in the end, he settled for just swaying.

When the music ended, he regretfully pulled away. He was about to speak when he felt a shiver run up his body. "They've begun," he whispered before rushing away from the confused and saddened mute.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Okay, rewind. Where did you say the others were?" Ken asked.

"Bathroom,"

"Eating,"

"Bed," Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi replied simultaneously.

The producer groaned tiredly. "What about Terran or Nyx? Do you know where they are?"

"I only saw him when he was dancing with Nyx," Aelita said. "Other than that I have no idea where they could be."

Ken sighed looking over at Chris. "Well we can't just cancel the show. Emeric McArnald and _Lycoris Incorporated_ have already paid us for a show. I really wished Ozzy hadn't called in sick," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I guess since Chris is playing drums it wouldn't hurt for me to go up too and play base or something."

"You?" Ulrich questioned skeptically.

"Hey! I used to be the best guitarist out there before I became a producer!" Ken defended.

"Okay, okay, sheesh," the samurai warrior said putting up his hands. "Though we're changing the song order."

"Then what are we playing?" Chris asked.

"Song number 13."

Ken looked at the brunette. "Who's singing it?" he asked though he already had an idea.

"I am," Ulrich replied.

"_I guess it's to be expected, especially with the current situation," _Ken thought glancing at Evan who was in a deep conversation with a fellow business associate. "Okay," the producer said aloud. "Let's get started before they start throwing stuff at us."

"They don't really do that in _real _life do they?" Yumi questioned.

"Believe me," Chris said. "It's real. They will throw things if they get upset. But don't worry!" he grinned. "It'll be fine."

The teens nodded before going on stage. Chris took the drums, Aelita stood behind an already set up mixing table, Yumi took base guitar since it was fairly easy, and Ken took up lead guitar. Ulrich, hands stuffed in his pockets, walked over toward the piano. He had taken lessons for a few years due to his father believing that it would help him academically somehow. The brunette teen even played keyboard for awhile in Odd's first band. It was funny. One of the things that his father made him slave over was actually going to help him release his frustration when any other time it just caused more.

He sat on the piano's bench, playing a few keys to get the audience's attention before speaking into a microphone that was placed on top of it.

"Um…excuse me? Yeah, I'm Ulrich Stern," he said unnerved by all the eyes staring at him.

"What is he doing?" Evan hissed angrily, it was bad enough that his son was in a band to begin with, it was even worst that he had identified himself as his son to any of his potential clients.

"I think…" Maria said, appearing next to him, "he's trying to get a point through to you." Evan looked at the woman confused, but she wouldn't say anymore.

"Anyway," Ulrich continued, "neither Odd nor Musa is here so yeah, you got to deal with me." A soft chuckle went through the audience before nodding towards Aelita.

The pink hair girl nodded, beginning to making a doting nose on the mixer before the rest of the band came in.

_I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface,_

"_The tower you're looking for should be 3 kilometers from where you are now."_

"Got it," William nodded jumping onto the overbike.

"_Be careful," _Jeremy warned. "_I'm picking up a very big signal by the tower and a smaller one closer to you. Be on the look out."_

"Alright," the sword wielder said before taking off.

_Don't know what you're expecting of me  
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes  
__**Ken**__: Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow_

Terran growled as he stood up from his knelt position. He had found Musa unconscious on the ground in a dark corner of another balcony. He heard a nearby rustle before a _whoosh _and the sound of static. "_Polymorphic clone," _he thought before bending back down and leaning Musa against a wall. "I'll be back…hopefully," he murmured before rushing away.

_Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
__**Ken: **__Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow_

Cascada heard the music, but she didn't feel like dealing with William or the others. She scoffed. "I prefer to be by myself then with mindless, selfish, immature idiots anyway," she murmured.

"Maybe that's why Tall-Dark-and-Handsome left you. You're not really a 'people person' are you?" a snide voice said. The plant A.I. spun around, coming face to face with an auburn hair woman wearing a turquoise dress with red and gold.

"And hopefully you're color blind," Cascada smirked. "Esen, I presume."

The woman smirked despite the earlier comment. "Yes and you're Cascada Hikaru. Project R.O.S.E., Titan Division of Project Carthage."

"I think someone who may be an associate of yours mentioned something about a division too. Mind filling in the blanks?" Hikaru asked.

"Poor little plant A.I. You can't remember anything about the true nature of Project Carthage, do you? What did they tell you? That it was basically a military computer program composed of groups of three artificial intelligences that job it was to screw up enemies' computers?" the paper manipulator laughed. "How naïve, but I do pity you to some extent. You'll never know the truth about your past since this," she said raising her arms, indicating the surrounding snow cover courtyard of the hotel they were in, "is where you'll die."

"Someone's optimistic," Cascada said holding the necklace around her neck. "_**Energize!" **_she murmured turning into her Lyoko form. "I guess I have to beat reality into you."

Esen's smirk grew even wider as she held a paper flower in her hand. "Here," she said before throwing it at Cascada. "A beautiful flower for an annoying weed." The paper flower burst, turning into smaller, sharper pieces heading straight towards the plant A.I. "_And candy clouds of lullaby," _she sang softly before throwing another paper flower.

_I've become so numb__!  
I can't feel you there,  
I've become so tired, so much more aware_

_I'm becoming this  
All I want to do is be more like me  
And be less like you_

William stopped a few yards away from the tower, getting off the overbike. "_See anything on your end?" _Jeremy asked.

"Nothing," the older boy replied.

"It's really depressing when a guy like you doesn't even notice girls like us," a voice moaned sadly. William turned around to see a tall girl wearing a white hooded high collar dress trimmed in black with matching boots and fingerless gloves. A black visor was placed over her eyes. She reminded William a lot of the other woman who was with the paper manipulator, Esen, at the night club.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the shaggy hair teen asked, summoning his large sword from smoke to his outstretched hand.

"Well if this is the type of reception we knew we would get we would never have come."

"You shouldn't have come here period and what's with talking in plural?" William asked slowly etching towards the activated tower. According to Jeremy, all he needed to do was get inside and start up the process, the computer whiz would do the rest.

The girl laughed. "Have you ever heard of the saying '_Together we stand, divided we fall'_?" she asked tilting her head slightly, exposing the mischievous smirk that had been hidden behind her high collar.

"What about it?" the boy asked puzzled.

The mysterious girl smirked. "Well, in this case, Together we stand, divided," she said as a white glow surrounded her going from red to blue to green before the light and the girl split apart into three forms, three hooded girls one of them being the fire manipulator from the club, "we kick your ass," they said together.

_Can't you see that you're smothering me?  
Holding too tightly; afraid to lose control_

"_The roof?" _he thought remembering the hotel's layout as he entered the faculty stairs to the roof. He quickly made his way up the stairs, sensing the specter nearby when he was caught off guard by a whizzing sound. He ducked just in time, sending a punch towards the whizzing mass collection of digital pixels. He wasn't expecting a simple punch to cause much damage but it was a distraction well enough.

He ran through the specter while it was still trying to collect itself, speeding up the stairs.

_'Cause everything that you thought I would be  
Has fallen apart right in front of you  
__**Ken: **__Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow_

Maria took another sip of her water, looking unsure at Emma as she glanced back at Evan who was clutching tightly to the glass of wine he held, anger evident on his face as his son continued to sing about him. The fashion designer had only met the man a few times in her early years of her marriage with Ken.

While she had worked with many high class and famous people, none had been so personally distant than Evan Stern had been the last time they met. While movie stars rambled on about their numerous children that they had adopted while she was tailoring an outfit for a movie premiere, Evan would barely say a word even in the most relaxed of environments. She wondered how his wife liked living with someone so unemotionally responsive.

But…when Maria really thought about it and the exact reason _why _he was so closed off, so demanding of his son, she pitied the man. He had spent so long closed up and now, when it was really important to be open with his son before it was too late, he couldn't.

_Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
__**Ken: **__Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow  
And every second I waste is more than I can take!_

Esen shielded her eyes with her arm as her paper projectiles were rebounded back towards her. She flicked her wrist causing the paper to stop its path towards her, the white sheets falling down to the ground slowly and harmless. She turned her gaze back on Cascada who was slowly down from her rapid spin.

The plant A.I. had used her lotus blades as shields, reflecting the, at the time, deadly paper from giving her one heck of a paper cut. She had seen Yumi use a move similar once when deflecting lasers from a hornet.

"Recycling my weapons, huh?" Esen questioned. "I guess that's only acceptable from _Mother _Earth."

"Hm. I'd make a horrible mother," the plant A.I. commented.

"I couldn't agree with you more," the paper A.I. said taking out several small slips of paper in one hand. In the other hand, she took out a small lighter. "Heard you smoke," she grinned as the other female's frown etched deeper. She dragged the lighter against the ends of the paper, setting them on fire. "Need a smoke?" she taunted, throwing the papers at her opponent. Before they hit though, they burst into smoke, obscuring Cascada's view.

She tried to listen for her opponent, but her ears weren't as good as Musa's so she wasn't prepared to the punch in the gut followed by her legs getting kicked out from under her.

"Smoking isn't good for your health," Esen said stumping her foot on girl's stomach, a reflexive gag escaping Hikaru's lips.

_I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
I've become so tired, so much more aware,  
I'm becoming this  
All I want to do is be more like me  
And be less like you_

"William!"Jeremy called out as the boy was tossed further away from the tower by a rupture of earth, followed by a wave of flames that, despite it being only digital pixels, did a lot of damage to his life points. "Damn," the computer whiz cried. William life points were going down fast; it would take the others too long to make it to the lab before the still unknown purpose behind the tower's activation caused some damaged.

He scowled. Throwing his headset at the wall where they landed in front of the taunting gleaming scanners. There was only one option and he knew it. He got out of his chair and made his way to the scanners. He paused in front of them.

_"I can't do this," _he thought taking a step back.

"_Everyone knows that the real Jeremy wouldn't step foot into the scanners. He'd be much to frightened," _the boy remembered Xana disguised as himself saying once.

Jeremy's hands gripped tightly at his sides. "_I've done it before," _he thought to himself. _"I have to get over this. I need to help. I can't just stand here!"_

_And I know I may end up failing too,_

William groaned as he pushed himself off from the ground, before he was pinned back down by icicles.

"Having fun?" the Earth A.I. smirked over him, the other two grinning behind her. The boy growled, looking at his discarded sword that was a few feet away. He just needed to concentrate and then…

"Aaaaahhhhh!" a voice cried out, grabbing everyone's attention. They all looked as a boy fell from the sky and landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. The boy wobbly got up to his feet, looking at disbelief at the area around him and at himself.

He wore a blue bodysuit with wires running along his arms and legs, concentrating on the palm of his hands into circular like disks. On his back was some kind of pack where all the wires connected. A blue visor covered his eyes connected to a helmet that also had wires running across it.

"Where the hell do these costume design come from?" the ice A.I. murmured.

"William!" the boy gasped, finally noticing that he wasn't alone.

"Jeremy?" the older boy asked shocked.

"One of your friends, eh?" the fire A.I. asked taking a step towards Jeremy.

"Stand back!" the blonde computer whiz said nervously, holding up his hands towards her. When nothing happened, he got nervous.

"Don't know how to attack do you?" the Earth A.I. questioned.

"This will be quick," the ice A.I. murmured before making the ice below Jeremy turn to slippery ice as he took a fearful step backwards causing him to land on his back. Digital earth enclosed itself around him, keeping him down. "Now, sit back and relax. We're almost done here," she said turning her back away from the two boys as she and her companions began walking towards each other with outstretched hands. Before their hands could touch, though, they were knocked back by a cloud of smoke.

"I thought your icicles were holding him down," the fire A.I. said from her position against the ground as she looked over at William.

"They are!" the ice manipulator growled.

"She's right," a voice chuckled, "but Willy boy isn't the only one who can manipulate smoke."

"What the-" the ice A.I. began before she and her comrades were attacked with an onslaught of blows.

_But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you_

Sitara had been walking when she heard sounds of a struggle and voices, one of them sounding like Cascada's. She found herself running towards the sound and was caught off guard when she saw two strange dressed girls fighting, one being held against the ground by the other's foot.

"Hm, you don't seem so high and mighty now," Esen sneered before turning her head at the small sound of a squeak. She caught sight of Sitara and growled. "Leave…NOW!" she yelled.

The mute looked frightened but she wouldn't leave when it looked like someone was in trouble. She had to do something.

"Ugh!" Esen groaned angrily. "You're so annoying!" She raised her hands, paper flying up before she flicked her wrists sending them towards the shocked and surprised mute.

"Hey, you're still fighting me," Cascada growled as she threw Esen's foot off her, causing the paper manipulator to loose control of the deadly paper. The white sheets flew up in the air before raining back down with great speed as sharp projectiles.

Taking her lotus blades, Hikaru threw them up in the air, circling around the paper and causing them to head towards Esen. At the last moment, the paper A.I. gained control of the paper, swirling them around her body like a protective shield.

"You two both annoy me," she said forming a sword out of the paper. "I can't wait to kill you both!" she smiled sadistically as she ran towards them at full speed.

Cascada got in front of Sitara, ready to block Esen's attack when it came, when suddenly, the auburn hair woman stopped in mid attack, cocking her head to the side as if listening to something. She frowned but let her sword dissipate back to a pile of papers.

"It seems like I have to cut this meeting short," the woman said snapping her fingers as the paper swirled around her again lifting her up into the air. "But I will kill you both," she said before leaving. "You both deserve it."

Cascada continued to look in the direction her opponent had left till she realized she was no longer there and collapsed to her knees holding her side. "Damn it!" she growled. "That little brat! I think she broke some ribs." The light on her necklace began to flash and with one final beep she reverted back to her human form, the pain still there more or less. She turned to Sitara who looked surprised at this turn of events. "You can keep a secret right?" Cascada asked. The girl nodded. "Good," Hikaru sighed looking up at the night sky. "What's that?" she frowned pointing to the roof.

Sitara followed her gaze to the roof where she saw a few figures standing, one quite close to the edge.

"Is that Odd?" Cascada gasped.

_I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there,  
I've become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this  
All I want to do is be more like me  
And be less like you_

William grunted as he was released from his icy shackles before Jeremy was also released. The fire, earth, and ice manipulators had all had their life points taken down to zero, sending them back to wherever the came from.

"You guys okay?" their savior asked.

"Y-yeah," Jeremy said standing up with William for support, "b-but who are you?"

The person grinned. "Easy. William, but," he said cutting off Jeremy who looked like he was about to contradict that, "more specifically, I'm Leon."

_I've become so numb  
I can't feel you __there;  
I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

Terran finally shoved his way through the door to the roof. He dodged just as an attack was aimed at him. "Odd?" he questioned realizing it was the blonde goofball attacking him. "_No. He's possessed," _he thought avoiding trying to hurt the boy.

He was so busy fending off Odd's attacks that he didn't even notice a polymorphic clone sneak up behind him, grabbing him.

The possessed Odd smirked as he walked towards the edge of the roof. "ODD! STOP!" Terran shouted as he heard the boy's foot step retreat further towards the roof edge.

The blonde turned around before continuing his walk, backwards towards the edge of the roof. Once he was an inch away a black substance wound itself from his mouth, reforming back in front of him. Odd, no longer possessed, looked disoriented as he wobbled at the roof's edge. The substance that had spewed from Odd's mouth began to take form, finally stopping when it looked like an exact copy of Musa. The copy smiled wickedly as it raised its hands towards the boy's chest, softly resting it there.

Terran struggled with his captor before creating sparks of electricity to shoot from his hand towards the specter, causing its pixel's to separate, not able to keep a solid form. Free, the boy ran towards the side of the roof where he could tell that Odd was wobbling at.

The Musa clone smirked before lightly pushing Odd, causing the boy to tilt off the side of the roof, falling. Terran jumped after him grabbing the boy's hand and a carving that stuck out from the hotel's side.

Screams and shots were heard from below as some guest members saw the two boys hanging off the side and the girl above who looked exactly like Musa Utada who had pushed them.

_I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

Ulrich didn't realize he had stopped playing until the sounds of applauds were almost deafening. He looked at the crowd smiling sheepishly before his gaze met with the heated and angry ones of his father. Ulrich didn't break his glare, just held it. "_That was for you dad," _he thought before a scream was heard.

The guest all looked frightened for a few seconds as the all tried to speculate what happened until finally Ulrich heard something that was quickly spreading through the room.

"On the roof! All three of them!"

"That girl and those two boys!"

"That beautiful singer? I don't believe it!"

"Well believe it! She did it she pushed them both off the side of the roof and then just ran off! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Who are you talking about?" Ken asked the man who had just spoken. Apparently he and the others had heard too and they didn't like what they were hearing.

The man who had spoken turned around revealing that he was T.J. Carom, one of the journalists who had been at the interview. He looked hesitant at Ken before sighing "that singer of yours, Musa Utada, I believe, she pushed that blonde cone hair shaped guitarist off the edge along with Terran Yuki."

"What?" Yumi and Aelita gasped.

"Yes," T.J. nodded. "The paramedics have already been called and the police too. That girl ran away as soon as she committed the crime. Now the hotel's security and the police are after her."

"Musa wouldn't do something like that!" Ulrich defended his friend.

"You three!" Ken said in an eerily firm voice. "Chris will take you back to your rooms now. Along with that Sissi girl."

"But what about-" Yumi began.

"GO!" Ken yelled, startling even Chris.

"Come on guys," the drummer said steering the teens towards the doors.

Aelita looked over her shoulder back towards Ken. He was still talking to the journalist, both of them looking like they were in a heated conversation. Suddenly, T.J. nodded giving a quick salute to Ken before walking off. Aelita looked perplexed. The salute didn't look like it was in mock, more like out of respect reminding her greatly of a soldier saluting a general or something.

"Come on, Aelita," Chris called to her. "We need to get you to your rooms before any journalists swarm in and start asking questions." The girl nodded following the man upstairs with Ulrich and Yumi.

"_Musa didn't do it," _she thought. "_She wouldn't…."_

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Musa groaned, rubbing her head. "Kuso. It feels like a truck ran over my head," she groaned shakily getting up to her feet. She leaned on the wall for support, running her hand through her now loose hair. "I-I don't remember what happened," she murmured to herself before she heard voices.

She wasn't going to pay them much notice until she heard a voice within her say, "_**hide!"**_

Strangely she listened pressing herself against the wall, covered by shadows. Soon enough, two of the hotel's security walked pass.

"I can't believe this," one of them, an older man said to his young companion. "What is happening to kids today? Just pushing each other off the roof like that. What is this world coming to?" he sighed shaking his head. "Lucky that Yuki kid was there when he was, though I'm surprised. He is supposedly blind after all.

"She must be mental," the younger guard said. "I mean the guy she pushed off was supposedly her boyfriend. No, wait, they broke up I think."

"Oh, so she pushed him over the edge because she was angry that he broke up with her," the first guard sighed.

"No, actually _she _was the one who broke up with him."

The older man sighed, shaking his head. "You know, I would kind of understand the motive if they were married. There would be lost of explanations, affair, abuse, and gold digging being the top, but…they're just kids! I'm not opposed to young love but…this is just out of control."

"Yeah, well, the poor guy is in the hospital with injuries believed to be sustained from the suspect. What's really weird is that the injuries he received were all internal. The doctors are sure that he'll make a full recovery but, it's so strange. I wonder how she could have done that to him," the younger male pondered.

"Don't try to understand these people. Our job," he said putting a hand on his partner's shoulder "is to find the suspect, Musa Utada and turn her over to the police for her crimes against Egen Della Robbia."

The younger man nodded and soon they left, turning the corner just seconds before Musa collapsed to the ground.

"W-what?" she questioned, eyes wide. She looked at her hands. "I-I pushed Odd... Egen, off the-the…" she bit her lip, unable to continue. She once again shakily got up to her feet. "_I-it can't be true! I didn't! I would never!" _She shook her head. "_I need to see if he's okay. This is probably just a dream, or a really cruel joke. Yeah," _she thought, but she didn't believe herself for a minute.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Cascada shoved her way through the reporters that had gathered in the hotel's lobby with Sitara's help. The plant A.I. clutched her side, leaning heavily on the smaller girl. The plant A.I. was never one much for crowded spaces and was becoming easily agitated. It didn't help that the reporters seemed to recognize her as the "sister of the suspect" and were bombarding her with questions.

_**"Oh, how peacefully silent it would be if I just killed them all," **_a dark thought surfaced in her mind before she shook her head.

"Just get out of my way," Hikaru groaned trying to push through the crowd of unrelenting journalist but found herself weaker than she thought from her fight with Esen as the world around her begin to spin as she swayed on her feet.

Suddenly, she found herself being picked up, held protectively in someone's arms. "I got you," William's voice rang clear through the noisy chatter the paparazzi were creating. She looked up at him, forgetting for a moment the fight they had earlier as she let herself relax in his arms.

William, followed by Sitara and Jeremy, made their way to the elevator, the shaggy hair teen withering the interviewers with his unusually harsh glare. Once inside the elevator, the William's posture slumped a little, clearly exhausted.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked looking through the see through walls of the elevator back down at the journalist below them. "Why are there so many interviewers?"

Sitara fidgeted nervously, tucking her mocha color hair behind her ear, her caramel eyes lowering to the ground.

"Musa," Cascada murmured in William's arms, rubbing away the headache that was beginning to throb. "Musa… is suspect for pushing Odd off the roof."

"What!?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.

"Don't yell," Cascada winced before looking up at William. "I think I can stand on my own." He looked down at her. He wanted to apologize but…he didn't know how. He set her on her feet just as the elevator's doors opened. Sitara helped guide Cascada out.

Before Jeremy could step out though, William put a hand on his shoulder stopping him. "**Don't tell the others about what happened on Lyoko,**" William said in a deeper voice.

"Is William telling me this or…is this Leon?" the computer whiz questioned, giving a pointed look at the older boy.

William released his grip. "Both," he said in his normal voice.

"Fine, but you'll have to tell Cascada and Musa…when we find her."

William was silent as he led the way back to the girls' suite where the others were waiting.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He watched as the man before him removed the red sweat shirt that he was well known for wearing in exchange for a black shirt before putting on a black, leather, trench coat.

"Don't you think you're bringing out the big guns a little too early?" Ken asked as Jim removed the sweatband that he had on his head before putting on a pair of black sunglasses.

"You know better than anyone that I don't want to," Jim murmured hesitating before taking out a black metal suitcase. "But it has come to the point where I have to take action."

"But you know she didn't do it!" Ken yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry," Jim sighed, "but this is the life we chose. We can't allow the mistakes that _they _made to get back at us."

"Even if that means sentencing the girl that we worked so hard to free to her death?" the music producer questioned.

"I don't want to do it," Jim murmured. "I don't want to do that to Utada. She seemed happy for a time, but I guess it was only a matter of time before her true, original nature showed through. She must be terminated." And with that, the gym teacher walked out of the room with the case in hand.

"Damn it!" Ken yelled throwing a nearby vase at the wall

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

She stared, her face tear stained, at her only son who at the moment was unconscious, recovering from his emergency surgery.

Maria lightly squeezed Odd's hand, visibly shaking. "You were wrong, Cascada," she murmured, taking Odd's hand with both of hers as she wiped the tears that were staining her beautifully made up face, "so, so wrong."

"Ma'am," a nurse said softly entering the room. "Ma'am, if it's not too much trouble the doctor would like to go over what some things with you."

Maria gave one last long look at her son before getting up from her chair that was placed by his bed and smoothing out the purple dress that she was still wearing from the party. "Okay," she nodded wiping the last of her tears away, "I'm on my way," she said following the nurse out of the room.

As soon as Maria was out of the door a figure jumped in through the window that was on the ninth floor. The figure walked hesitantly to the unconscious patient.

Musa stared tearfully down at Odd. How could this have happened? He was lying in a hospital bed deathly pale, braced on his arms and legs! She wrapped her arms around herself, clutching her arms so tight that her nails left imprints on her skin as she fought to hold back a sob, but still, tears fell silently.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there but suddenly the light came on and the wolf A.I. gasped as she spun around towards the door where Maria stood shock. The woman's shock quickly turned to anger as she looked from Musa to her son who was in a medicine induced coma. "Get out," she whispered.

"I'm-I'm sorry," Musa begged. "I-I never meant for this to happen. I-"

"GET OUT," the woman screamed throwing a vase full of flowers at the girl. Musa brought up her arm to block the object as it collided against it, the sharps shards sending blood rolling off her arm like small rivers, outlining the veins from whence it came from. "SECURITY!" Maria shouted out into the hospital.

Musa panicked pressing the button on her necklace before transforming into her Lyoko self. "_**Guitar Riff!" **_she cried fleeing the room.

When she exited from the riff she tumbled out into the girl's suite where the rest of the gang plus Sitara and Sissi were in.

"Ah!" Sissi screamed. "Who's that?"

"Musa!" Cascada said kneeling down next to her sister, ignoring but still answering Sissi's question. Musa hugged herself tighter, reverting back to her human form.

"She's bleeding!" Aelita gasped.

"Go to the bathroom and get some damn bandages!" Cascada ordered.

Sitara nodded deciding to help instead of staring with confusion at what was going on before her like Sissi.

"It's my fault," Musa whimpered softly.

"No, no, no," Cascada said taking her sister's head in her hands so she was looking at her. "It's not. You would never do that. We all know that."

"Yeah," Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremy, and William agreed.

The wolf A.I. looked at them with a quivering lip, about to say something when the door slammed open. A smoke bomb was thrown inside filling the room as a large group of black suited men entered followed by Jim who looked incredibly slimmer, the men's guns pointed at the kids.

"Jim? What the-" William questioned standing protectively in front of Cascada and Musa.

The man held up his hand. "I rather not talk about it."

"Jim!" a voice shouted as Evan and Emma pushed themselves into the room. "What are you doing?" Evan yelled. "They're just kids! They don't know anything."

Jim looked regretfully at Evan and Emma and then at the kids before straightening up. "I'm sorry but she," he said pointing to Musa, "is under arrest."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He had appeared in the bathroom where he found Sitara looking fearfully at the closed door. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder that at first startled her but she soon calmed down when she realized it was only him. "They're here, aren't they?" he asked though he already knew the answer. "Stay here and don't make a sound," he told her though it was highly unlikely that she would. She always did as he said without fail. She trusted him, if only he was worthy of his trust, he thought before pressing his ear to the closed door to hear what was going on outside.

"What the hell do you mean, Jim?" Cascada questioned angrily, quickly getting to her feet which caused pinpoint size red dots to land on her as the men holding the guns pointed them at her, but she didn't look frighten, just angry.

"I mean what I mean," the man said putting his hands behind his back. "As officers of the _Hommes dans le Noir, _the Parisian sector of the MIB, the Men in Black, we take it upon ourselves to hold Musa Utada, Project L.A.N.A. of the Titan division of Project Carthage, under arrest."

"There you go again," Cascada murmured gripping her hands into fist, "talking about stuff that doesn't even make any sense!" she growled as her hands sparkled with green electricity. With a flick of her wrist a whip of electricity flung out at the men holding guns, knocking them out of their hands. "Musa!" she shouted over her shoulder "Run!"

The wolf A.I. looked shocked and unsure but before she could say anything, Jim pulled out a gun like object from his pocket shooting it at Cascada who fell limply to the floor.

"Cascada!" the others cried as Jim aimed the gun at Musa. Before he could pull the trigger a shrill sound was heard, shattering the mirrors and glass and causing everyone to cover their ears as a fierce wind picked up within the room.

Void knelt next to Musa taking her in his arms. "I spared your life once," he said towards Jim, "next time, I won't hesitate to kill." Jim and the other members of the _Hommes dans le Noir _tried to rush him but he was gone in the speed of sound.

Jim growled angrily as he ordered some of his men to search the surrounding area for the mysterious boy A.I. He turned his gaze back on the teens just as William tried to aim a punch at him but surprising the teens in the room, Jim caught the boy's fist in his hand before twisting his arm slightly, forcing William to his knees.

"You killed her!" the shaggy hair teen growled cradling his wrist to his chest.

"No, honey," Emma said kneeling next to her son. "Cascada isn't hurt. That gun Jim used was made to only stun A.I.'s when it was likely they would attack."

"How do you know that?" Aelita asked tearfully. "Why are you acting so cruel Jim?"

The man grunted wiping his fist under his nose before turning to one of his remaining officers. "Stun the boy," he said nodding towards William, "and handcuffed the rest of 'em. We're taking them to headquarters." Jim turned to look at Evan who was holding Emma back while William was stunned unconscious. "You two, are ordered to head to headquarters too for your mission briefing."

"Dad?" Ulrich looked at his father confused but the man wouldn't look at him.

"You know I was never a fighter," Evan said to Jim, ignoring his son.

"I know," Jim agreed, "but we'll need your strategies in order to get Utada back," Jim said before walking out of the room.

"Dad! What is going on?" Ulrich yelled at his father.

The man sighed as he continued to hold back a struggling Emma from knocking out the man who had just stunned her son. "I'm not sure, but most likely…we're looking at a war between humans and machines…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Musa opened her eyes once she was sure that whatever form of transportation Void used had ended. She looked up at the boy to actually have to look down when she realized that he was kneeling. She was about to question him before she realized where she was. Lucas's house. "W-why am I here?" Musa asked not liking the idea of being in a dead man's home.

"Why, for your safety, my dear Lana," a voice chuckled. Musa looked up the stairs, where the voice was coming from, to see the copper hair man from the park. "But let me properly introduce myself. I am Emeric McArnald, Project H.E.B.I. of the Titan division of Project Carthage," he suddenly appeared from the top of the stairs to right in front of her, taking her hand and kissing it as his amber eyes stared up at hers. "Welcome home."

* * *

Longest chapter ever!

I just want to say a few things before people start sending me threatening angry reviews. Yes! Musa and Odd are going to get back together! Do you guys really think I would work to create a great relationship between them only to break them up and never have them getting back together? Anyway, hopefully that will cool you down a little.

Yep, Jim's part of the French Men in Black. You have no idea how close I was to having him called "Agent J" but then that may have been pushing it. Anyway, a total 180 personality wise don't you think? Don't worry, he still the loveable Jimbo we all know, he's just trying to act tough in front of his peeps. LOL!

Sorry if Jeremy's Lyoko form was a little...unimaginative. Originally, I had planned to base his outfit off of the Angel doll Wiz from the anime Angelic Layer but then I was like "that look would be too cool fro Jeremy!" and yeah...so...

More about the organization will be explained next chapter, Odd will wake up, and hopefully, if everything goes as planned the momment that I've been planning for since even before Code Moon was over will happen! LOL! I'm so excited! But remember, things have to get much worse before anything can get better. You've been warn. LOL!

Anyway, updates might start slowing down after this week because I'll have to start going to this music program that I signed up for in hopes of improving my flute playing. Hopefully, this camp will help me get into the advance band for school, you know, the band that actually plays songs that people like and not the crappy ones like the intermediate and begginning band people get. So, yeah, for three hours a day, five days a week, for the next five weeks I'll be busy practicing my fingers off to get into the good band. Wish me luck and hope that I don't embarass myself in front of these freakily talented kids. Ugh, it'll be sad if they put me in the lowest band because I can't sight read music to save my life...

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	28. Unsure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and anything else that wasn't in the show.**

**Unsure**

_**21 years ago**_

She sat in the corner crying as pain ripped through her. The air around her was thick with static and the lights above flickered uncertainly. Burn marks scuffed the white floor and walls around her. "It hurts," she sniffed as the tears that were welled up inside of her fell relentlessly. Her body felt awkward and her mind fought with different ideas and mindsets. She felt so alone, so used, so torn. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"Don't cry," a voice said softly. "Don't."

She sniffed looking up at the red hair boy who stood above her. They had never talked too much to each other even though they had been in the same situation for years, but she didn't care. The other two of their group had been taken away to another room. He was the only one left, the only one to comfort her. "It hurts," she cried again.

The boy hesitatively sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "I know," he murmured into her hair as he felt a prickling sensation come from her.

"I hate them," the girl cried into his shoulder.

"I do to, and that's why they'll soon die for what they did to us."

"I don't think I can kill them, even though I want to."

"Don't worry," the boy sighed rubbing her back. "Leave that up to me."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Okay, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way, Hikaru."

"Can you stop with the good cop, bad cop thing? It's overly used and it's really sad when you only have one cop doing it. Makes it seem like you're some kind of multi-personality loon who watched too much _Law and Order _and _CSI _and hides in his room fondling himself,_" _the plant A.I. replied smartly with a bored expression.

The interrogator's eye twitched as he stared at the girl before slamming his fist down in frustration which he immediately regretted as a throbbing pain went through it. He also could have sworn he felt a shock too.

"Careful, _sir,_" she said with an obviously fake smile. "Don't want to hurt yourself."

The interrogator huffed before leaving the girl with the four armed guards. He left the room and stepped out into the hallway where Agent Morales was waiting. "Anything?" he asked hopefully.

"That-that girl is practically a sealed vault," the interrogator said fuming.

Jim sighed as the man walked off. "That was the seventh one and he was the best of the best."

"Maybe I can help."

Jim cocked his head to the side as Emma walked over towards him. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"The best any mother can do when they're son is locked up in a containment field like some kind of monster criminal," the woman said narrowing her eyes.

"He's not being accused of anything Emma," Jim sighed. "We just put him there because that is the only room that'll be able to keep him from escaping. We need to ask all of these kids questions. The higher ups' orders."

"They can go-"

"So do you think you can talk to her?" the man asked cutting her off.

Emma sighed. "I'll try but I wouldn't hold anything against her if she doesn't tell me anything," she said looking through the two way mirror where the girl sat tauntingly glaring at the guards, testing their patience. "This reminds me of how she was before."

"No," Jim said shaking his head. "This is a paper cut compared to what she was like before." He pushed himself off the wall before walking down the hall. "See what you can do with her. I'm going to check over the others," he said over his shoulder.

Mrs. Dunbar took in a deep breath, squaring her shoulder before she walked into the room where the plant A.I. was waiting.

"Mrs. Dunbar," she smiled though Emma could tell that anger and hurt hid behind the smile, "sit down. We have much to talk about don't we?"

"Yes," Emma sighed taking a seat. "Yes we do."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Are you going to answer me?"

"No," the brunette said crossing his arms and sending a glare that would wither any other person but alas, he was going against his father and it would take a lot more to intimidate Evan Stern.

"Why are you being so stubborn? Do you want to be linked as an accessory to a crime? To a criminal?" Evan Stern asked furiously.

"Musa's not a criminal. She's one of my best friends. She wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was possessed by some evil A.I." Ulrich said defiantly.

"_Friends _such as her will only hold you back in life, son, and-"

"Don't."

"What?" Evan asked.

"Don't. _Don't_ call me son. _Don't _tell me what to do," the samurai warrior said glaring at his father. "You don't understand me, you never did, and you never will because you're not willing to. Didn't you listen to the song?"

"Yes, I listened to the song," Evan said readjusting the tie he wore. "And I thought it was childish of you. If you wanted to get something through to me you should have just said something like an adult."

"I have!" Ulrich yelled getting up so fast from his chair that it tipped over with a loud thud. "Every damn time I see you I try to talk to you but you never listen! It's always about what you want! You never listen to anyone else but yourself!"

"You will not speak to me in that tone again. I am your father! I deserve respect!" Evan yelled.

"You'll get respect form me when you respect my life and my friends," the boy retorted, keeping his voice low.

Evan stared at his son, neither breaking the gaze until a guard came in. "Sir, Agent Jim wishes for all of the teenagers to report to the main interrogation room. He also requested your presence too, sir," the guard said quickly instantly feeling the tension in the room.

"Make sure he doesn't get lost," Evan said as he walked out of the room.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

She awoke to find herself in a warm soft bed. She wouldn't have suspected anything if the events from the previous evening hadn't flooded back into her mind. She clutched the fabric of the night gown over where her heart was in pain. What had she gotten herself into?

She bit the inside of her cheek, holding back a sob as she drew her knees up to her chest. She really wanted to die now. She wasn't even sure if Odd would survive, but she couldn't go back. Not to her friends, her family. She was a criminal.

"_But did I really do it?" _she wondered before snapping her head to the side when she heard a sound. She looked to the left of her bed to see Terran asleep in a chair that was pulled closed to the bed. He slept in an award position that was surely going to give him some pain when he awoke.

Musa sighed. She had learned a lot of unexpected things last night…

_**Flashback**_

"Home?" the girl questioned the man, Emeric McArnald.

"It's all right if you don't remember," he said letting go of her hand as he stepped back. "These things take time to remember."

"Remember? Remember what?" Musa asked.

"You've been having strange dreams, haven't you?" the man asked with an all knowing smiling. "But like I said, don't worry about it. Now, you must be tired. My son will show you to your room."

"This way," Void said getting up from his kneeled position. As he did so, his form disappeared going into what she assumed was his Earth form. What she wasn't expecting was for Terran Yuki to be standing there.

"Y-you're Void?" Musa asked shocked.

"Is something wrong with that?" the boy asked coolly.

"No," Musa said shaking her head. She had seen weirder.

"I'll leave her in your hands," Emeric said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder before walking away. Musa stared after the man before she realized Terran had already began walking up the winding stairs. She quickly caught up with him matching his pace.

After a silent, uneventful walk they stopped in front of a door. Terran opened the door revealing a comfortable looking room. "You can sleep here," he informed her, allowing her to step in. He was about to leave when Musa grabbed his hand.

"Can you stay? I don't think it'll be easy for me to sleep. Not with everything that, you know, happened."

"Okay," the boy replied walking into the room. He took a seat that was next to a table while Musa plopped on the bed.

"Sooooo…you're an A.I. too?" she asked unsure.

"More or less."

A brow was raised by the wolf A.I. but she decided not to question his answer. "And Emeric, I mean, your father is he-"

"Yes. He's an artificial intelligence too."

"He looks really young though, to have a kid I mean," the girl thought aloud.

"With the help of a supercomputer, an A.I. could speed up or slow down his/her growth. He's in his thirties but he looks eighteen at the most," Terran replied uninterested.

The room was filled with silence as Musa tried to think of something to say and Terran looked bored, uninterested in talking.

"You really surprised me," the girl said suddenly.

Yuki turned his head towards her. "How exactly?"

"Well…before, when we fought together you were really good. So it's hard to believe that you're really blind."

"So you're saying that blind people are incapable of fighting or anything else that could possibly be tedious?" he asked.

"No!" Musa said raising her hands in defense before lowering them when she heard the boy chuckled. He shook his head removing his glasses before turning towards her. The wolf A.I. held back a gasp as she stared at his milky red pupil-less eyes.

"Startling aren't they?" Terran smirked sadly. "I'm not totally blind. With these," he said pointing to his eyes, "I can tell the difference between an A.I. in whatever form, a human, a polymorphic specter, or someone who has been in contact with energy from a supercomputer."

"So you can see me?" Musa asked quietly getting up and moving around, watching as Terran followed her every movement.

"Yes, but only an outline that distinguish you as an artificial intelligence. I can't see any details like how you specifically look. I can just tell different people from each other by the energy that surrounds them. Yours an electric blue, fitting for you," the boy shrugged.

"So you see auras basically?"

"Yes, but the electrical energies surrounding humans are low so that's when I'm truly 'blind'," the boy explained.

"Wow. That's cool."

"Not really," Yuki said putting his glasses back on. "It gets tiresome. I think a painting is a good comparison. While everyone else sees colors and details I only see a blank canvas."

"But that's what makes it even more amazing," Musa stood up walking towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. "While everyone else is forced to see what they're being shown, you see what you want to. You're the artist. You see things that other people may not be able to see themselves. You're not blinded by the lies of the world around you."

"You would make an excellent inspirational speaker," he chuckled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Not for your comment," Musa said shaking her head. "For helping me keep my mind of bad things and…for saving Odd."

The boy shifted in his seat, turning his head slightly away. "You said before that he was important to you."

"He is," she nodded.

"Then that's all that matters," the wind A.I. said. "You should go to bed. I know you had a long day."

"Will you stay with me? At least till I go asleep?" the wolf A.I. asked fearful of being left alone.

"I was going to stay either way. I don't trust him."

"Who?"

"My father."

_**End Flashback**_

The wolf A.I. was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. Getting up from bed, she walked over to the door opening it, revealing Emeric, his eyes shining like liquid amber.

"Mr. Emeric!"

"Just Emeric will do fine," the man smiled. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to join me for breakfast. After, I'm hoping you would agree to let me show you around."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Musa asked confused. "We just met and I'm sure you heard about…"

"What happened on the hotel's roof? Yes, I know about that and I know you didn't do it," he smiled. "Besides," he tilted her chin up towards him. "This isn't the first time we met. We used to be…close. Really close. I know what you are capable of doing and purposely pushing someone off a roof is not you."

Musa smiled her thanks though her stomach twisted painfully. Something was right but she couldn't figure out what.

"So, would you like to have breakfast with me?"

"What about Terran?"

"He wore himself out yesterday. Let him sleep."

Musa nodded, unsure before following the man out of her room. As she left, she didn't even notice as Terran's figure flickered before reverting into smoke.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"No," she replied with a tone of finality.

Jim sighed, running his hand through his hair. "You do know that I'm actually letting you off easy. The higher ups want you dead."

"I rather be dead then practically handing over my own sister," the plant A.I. hissed. The rest of the Lyoko, minus Odd and Musa obviously, and Emma and Evan kept silent as they watched Cascada and Jim argue between each other, neither letting up.

"So because of your own stubbornness," Jim said crossing his arms over his chest as he propped his feet up on the table, "you're willing to let your own sister die?"

The room was silent as the strawberry blonde stared heatedly at their gym instructor.

"What is expected of me?" Hikaru sighed in defeat.

"What you do best as an A.I." Jim said simply. "Infiltration."

"Wait," William said getting the nerve to jump into this conversation. "Who are we even talking about infiltrating?"

"Emeric McArnald," Emma said staring down at her coffee that she held in her hands. "Project H.E.B.I. Hacking Eternal Bypass Illusionist."

"_**No! That snake!" **_William cringed as Leon roared with anger within his mind. _**"If he even lands a hand on my little sister…I'LL KILL HIM!"**_

"What? Emeric McArnald is an A.I.?" Jeremy asked shocked all over his face.

"Yes," Jim nodded. "He's also the cause of many deaths of the scientist who worked on Project Carthage."

"What's going on?" Sissi asked confused.

"So this was all a trap?" Yumi questioned.

"B-but why?" Aelita asked.

William grabbed his head, gripping tightly to it as he growled in pain and frustration. The guards in the room pointed their guns at the boy. "B-**because…**" William said, his voice changing from normal to a deeper more commanding one as if he was having some kind of internal battle, "**HE WANTS MUSA!**"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"You idiot. You knew you would be punished for interfering with the plan!" The bruised and beaten form of Terran Yuki stared unseeingly at her. Nyx growled angrily wiping back angry tears. "You won't even remember why you did what you did that got you punished so what's the point!? Why do you do such stupid and foolish things that will only speed up your deletion?"

The bloody white hair boy finally seemed to notice the spiky hair brunette in front of him.

"I-I do whatever is for the good of our kind," he whispered before coughing up blood and then going unconscious.

"Idiot," Nyx murmured again as she lowered herself to her knees by his bed. "Am I really that bad? Would you rather die then be with me? Would you rather be with that _human _instead?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Come on. You need to rest," Ken said forcefully guiding his ex-wife out of the room.

"B-but-!" Maria tried to argue.

"No," the man said sternly, his usual cheerful expression no where in sight. Maria had only seen Ken in this mood only a few times and it was just best to do as he said.

"Fine," she gave in.

"Good," Ken nodded, his face lightning slightly. "Let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starving!"

"You must be if you're willing to eat hospital food," the woman murmured as she allowed herself to be dragged away from her son's room towards the cafeteria, not aware of what was going on inside of the room.

A dark figure stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the still unconscious boy. "You're taking too long to heal. A battle will start soon and you'll be needed," they murmured softly while rubbing their soar throat. "You may be the only one to bring her from the depths of her depression and the doubts of her other half," the person said as they took out a pocket watch on a long gold chain. The watch began to swing slowly around in a circle before picking up speed so that it was nothing but a blur. "_**Reverse Clockwork."**_

A projection of a clock face came from the still circling hovering over the unaware blonde. The hands on the clock ticked forward before they stopped, the minute hand ticking backwards. The second hand began to spin fast like a needle of a compass as the other hands of the clock began to move counterclockwise.

The machines in the room hummed with discontent, blinking in and out of working order. The heart monitor began to emit a piercing beep that went on for a few seconds before the hands on the projected clock slowed along with the circling pocket watch.

The person snatched the pocket watch up, stuffing it into their pocket making the projected clock disappear. Odd moan slightly in his sleep, shifting over to his side, the most movement he had made in hours.

"Noting is written in stone. Time has no master but the choices you made in the past and the ones you will make in the future. Odd, will you be able to help clear the dark ominous cloud that I foresee in the future?"

The boy groaned, his eyes slowly opening to find himself alone in a hospital room. "What are you talking about?" he asked drowsily. "I don't know what you've been through but jumping off a roof is…sui…cidal…?" he stopped noticing that he was no longer on the hotel's roof but in a hospital bed instead. He paused in his confusion as he looked down at his hand which was clutching on to something tightly. Odd raised the object up to his face, his expression further contorting into confusion. "An old pocket watch?"

* * *

Yeah! Odd's alive!

_**Odd: **She was almost about to kill me off._

_**Me: **I was not!_

_**Odd: **Were too! Have you seen her Soul Eater fic? That's depressing. She's kills off everyone in that one. (whispers) She has some major issues._

_**Me: **No I don't!_

LOL! I'm arguing with a fictional character. I do have issues. Wow, it's like midnight where I'm at and I'm still hyper. I really need to get to go to sleep earlier or I'll be a mess in band camp.

Anyway thought I thank all of my awesome reviewers so thanks to:

**_HoboLover_**

**_alteris_**

**_chao m_**

**_fightingpacifist_**

**_Miss Dark Shiva_**

**_cheerfulpessimist-and-darkrose_**

**_Lyokoluva_**

**_NiGHTChild68_**

**_WilliamTA_**

**_Lonelydreamer27_**

**_Mata-NuiXIII_**

**_emerald lady_**

**_Synneofthesun_**

**_Gregoryhell_**

**_Maya4eva14 _**

**_Edward Cullen's Girl_**

**_linkmasta_**

**_Reignlief_**

**_xanadead_**

**_trixter 93_**

**_MyriadofWillows_**

**_Fin the Warrior_**

**_Life's-Black-Rose-Petal-Gilly_**

**_The Mad shoe1_**

**_queenofspades19_**

**_Aniro the Wolf Warrior_**

**_hopekills16_**

**_ .ame._**

**_Dormentmistress_**

**_THANKS GUYS! YOU ROCK!_**

Okay, so for those of you who have been on my profile I have a poll on whether or not their should be a third story and such so, since I have a potential story idea in my head for if I do decide to have a third story I decided to give you guys a preview! I haven't fully developed all the characters out yet. Just have a basic idea of their personality. Remeber this isn't definite and is still in the plotting process.

**_A new generation..._**

_"What's this place called again?"_

_"Kadic Academy."_

_"So this is where it all began."_

_"And where it all could end."_

**_Old faces..._**

_"Do you remember a girl who probably made the biggest mistake of her life at a skateboarding competition?"_

_A laughing smile. Teasing flirting. A selfish heart._

_"Sam?"_

_"Hey Odd."_

**_New Faces..._**

_"Welcome to Hell! Where the teachers are just waiting to kill you in your sleep, where the ditzy populars throw crap down on you, and where guys can't even find a decent girl to get laid."_

_"Excuse him. He doesn't know how to deal with members of the opposite sex"_

_"Like you do? Can anybody say future 40 year old virgin?"_

_Opposites like dark and light._

_"You're an arrogant jerk!"_

_"And you're just deeply in denial."_

_"Of what?"_

_"Of your true feelings towards me."_

_"And I'm the one in denial?"_

_"Why are we expected to live up to what our parents did? We're our own individuals, not their clones or something."_

**_Family Secrets..._**

_"Let's check out that old factory that my dad owns."_

_"What is this place?"_

_"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"_

_"What is this-this power?"_

_"It's been building up for years. If too much is used...it could mean total destruction."_

_"Why didn't you tell us?"_

_**A Deadly Game...**_

_"Welcome to Xanadu! The goal is to fight your opponents untill you reach the highest level...LYOKO!"_

_"We can beat them!"_

_"I think this stopped being a game long ago."_

_"Who knew mom could kick butt!?"_

_"I'll still beat her."_

_"No one has beaten the eight Lyoko Legends!"_

_"Then call me No One because I'm about to."_

_**The Fear of Exposure**_

_He rubbed her back comfortingly as she clung on to him tightly, tears running down faster than any river. _

_"They'll find us."_

_"No they won't"_

_"They did before and we don't have the return trip like we did."_

_"Everyone always compares us. I'm tired of living in her shadow. I know she's far from perfect but still...what am I good for?"_

_"My mom...my mom" sigh "my mom has hit rock bottom more times then I can count. We're always taking care of her."_

**_Human vs. Machine_**

_"Déjà vu, anyone?"_

_"We must put an end to this contamination! They have lived amongst us, teaching our children and running our government. How long will it take till they are totally in control? How long will it be till we, humans, have our god given rights taken away from us by the machines that we created? We must purge the world of any A.I. once and for all!"_

_A crowd cheering in agreement._

_"The United Nations have teamed up to get rid of this new threat."_

_"Typical. Man builds machine. Machine gets freedom. The ignorant townspeople try to kill machine. Total Frankenstein."_

_"This is the end of an era. It's over."_

_"What about the mighty Lyoko Gang? Together, you could do anything!"_

_"Those days are long go. It's time for a new generation to pave the way. Besides our bodies aren't what they used to be."_

_"I don't know if I can do this alone."_

_"Then you shouldn't be worried. You're not alone."_

_"Welcome to..."_

_"We'll fight for out freedom! Our children! We'll fight for une monde sans danger!"_

_**Code Horizon: The Next Generation...Are you ready for what the future holds?**_

_"Do you think you can handle it?"_

_Smirk. "Just try me."_

_**Coming soon to a FanFic near you!**_

LOL! That totally reminded me of some kind of movie trailer!

Anyway, like I said, this is still in the plotting process so if I do do this story then a few things may be cut out for the sake of the plot. At the end of this story I'll have another poll which'll decide whether or not there will be another story.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	29. Our Solemn Hour

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or "Our Solemn Hour" by Within Temptation. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot, and any other characters that weren't in the show.**

**Our Solemn Hour**

"Cascada…"

William stopped speaking when the plant A.I. turned her gaze on him. She was anything but happy. The two sat in a prep room, finally into more casual clothes than the ones from the party with two guards standing outside the door.

"Cascada," he began again.

"The next time you say my name you better have something important to say to me Will or is it Leon? I really have no idea who I'm talking with now" the girl snarled.

William ran a hand through his hair. He guessed he deserved that. Leon's little outburst in the interrogation room had caught a lot of attention resulting in William having to explain about the second entity in his mind.

"Cascada…I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I-"

"You're sorry?" the girl murmured with her back towards him. Her shoulders shook. "You're SORRY?" she growled spinning around to face him pure rage in her eyes. She smacked the pitcher of water that was on the table between them off, causing water to fall and the pitcher shatter to jagged pieces of glass. The shaggy hair male sat, silenced, afraid to move. Even Leon wasn't man enough to comment.

Seeming exhausted, the strawberry blonde sank down into her chair, hands covering her face. "Cas," William said softly, reaching out to touch her.

A hand grabbed his wrist tightly. "What did I say about saying my name without anything _important _to say?" the plant A.I. growled, her face tearless as she tightened her grip on his wrist, sending shocks of green electricity through him. "There's nothing you can say that'll make me forgive you for lying to me."

The door to the room opened and Cascada immediately let her grip go, her face turning expressionless as Emma and Jim entered the room.

Jim looked at the broken pitcher on the floor before looking back at the two teenagers. "Problems?" he questioned.

"None," Cascada replied tonelessly. "Now can we get started? I want my sister back before any damage is done to her by this Emeric McArnald."

"Right," Emma said giving her son a slight pitying look before continuing. "We have information to believe that Emeric has your sister in the mansion that once belonged to Professor McArnald's son, Lucas. We've got this information from one of our spies there, Ralph Erikson, before he was discovered," Emma looked down sadly. "We're afraid to say that we believed he was executed on sight."

"But before they found out about him," Jim said placing a stack of folders on the table, "he was able to send us the entire layout of the mansion along with some of Emeric's future plans, which include take over of the human race."

"So you want us to take care of him?" William asked.

"NO!" Emma shouted with eyes wide. "You can't this isn't just any regular A.I. Though the artificial intelligences of the Titans division were some of the strongest created, Emeric, or Project Hebi, is too strong for just you two."

"She's right, this is a simple Recon mission with one of its primary objectives being getting Utada back," Jim explained. "Now," he said taking out what looked to be a blueprint of the McArnald mansion, "this will be where you'll meet one of our insiders."

"You have another one?" Cascada questioned. "Wouldn't it have been better to take out all spies in case Ralph leaked some info before his demise?"

"He wouldn't, believe me," Jim said. "And the insider we're working with is someone who turned against Emeric. One of his so called 'generals'. Like I said, you'll be meeting with them at this point and they'll help you get in to Musa."

"We also have backup in case something goes wrong but they're kind of sketchy," Emma added.

"How sketchy?" the shaggy hair teen questioned.

"Sketchy like we've never seen these people before," Emma said. "So sketchy that if any of the higher ups gets word of them we're going to be in a big load of crap. Pardon my language."

"You had a worst mouth when we were younger," Jim shrugged.

"Is that all we need to know?" Cascada asked getting up.

"Don't get in a rush, Hikaru," Jim warned. "You have no idea what Emeric can do."

"He has my sister," the plant A.I. said, her voice steely. "That's all I need to know." She glanced over at William before looking back at Jim and Emma. "I'm not as selfish as I seem."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Musa felt slightly better after getting out of her tight restricting dress and into some more comfortable clothing. At the moment, she was following Emeric down the seemingly endless hallways of the McArnald mansion.

He had shown her around, letting her get acquainted with the layout of the home. Though the mansion was spacious, beautiful, and comfortable, Musa didn't really see the point of being shown around. She wasn't planning on staying too long. She didn't want to intrude and she also didn't want to get Emeric in trouble for harboring a criminal.

"Is something bothering you," Emeric asked, suddenly surprising her out of her thoughts. She was surprised to find that she was so out of it that she didn't even notice that they were in a beautifully decorated room with a high glass ceiling.

"Oh no," Musa said shaking her head before looking back at the room. "This room is really breathtaking."

"Thank you," the copper hair man smiled. "Did you know that this mansion was built upon a destroyed building and that there are still underground rooms beneath it?"

"Um…no," the wolf A.I. replied unsure.

"Would you like to see them?"

Despite her better judgment, Musa nodded, curiosity taking over.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"This is it," William replied in his Lyoko form. Cascada gave a non-committal grunt as she scanned the area around the mansion. It was hard to see through the snow that has suddenly began to fall and a trap could be set anywhere so the shaggy hair teen considered himself lucky that Cascada had such good eye sight.

"It's cleared," the plant A.I. said, deciding to speak only when necessary to the boy. William nodded before they both their bodies broke apart turning to either smoke or flower petals.

A strong gust of air and snow blew at the two, throwing off the petals until the cloud of smoke wrapped around them, guiding them towards the back door of the mansion. When they made it to the cover of mansion's walls, the smoke and the petals reformed, William holding Cascada.

The plant A.I. pushed away from the sword wielder, not noticing the pained expression he had while she scanned the area.

"You two took your time," a voice called out over the howl of the wind. The two teenagers turned to see a very unexpected someone.

"Nyx?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

_Sanctus Espiritus redeem us from our solemn hour_

They were in the basement or what would have been the basement if the many underground levels of previous building hadn't been there. Musa couldn't stop herself from staring at the large expanse which she gathered must have been a laboratory from the broken pieces of test tubes, microscopes, and other scientific instruments. It felt totally surreal. She could just imagine the lab in its former state and she knew. This was the place; the place from her nightmares.

"I want to show you something," Emeric murmured in her ear, his hands placed strongly on her shoulders. "It is time for you to remember what they did to us."

Musa looked over her shoulder at him to see his golden amber eyes change entirely black.

_Sanctus Espiritus insanity is all around us_

"We're not too far," Nyx informed as they walked down the winding stairs leading further and further down.

"I still can't believe this," Cascada murmured.

"Believe it or not, I'm here to help," the spiky hair brunette said over her shoulder at the teens. They stopped on a landing that led to a door. Nyx opened the door to reveal a room, its once white walls a pale yellow with peeling paint and some kind of operating table in the middle. "Do you remember this place?"

"Should we?" William asked as the smirk on Nyx's face grew.

_Sanctus Espiritus!_

"This was where Project Carthage began," Emeric explained. "This was the room where the scientist worked hard trying to create better weapons for their army. One of their greatest goals was creating super soldiers."

"Super…soldiers?" Musa asked as the room around them seemed to swirl. "What's going on?" she questioned as the room seemed to repair itself, looking like new.

_Sanctus Espiritus!_

"This is one of Emeric's powers," Nyx explained as the room they were reverted back to its original, stainless state. "You may simply call it _**Replay**_."

A man entered the room, wearing a white lab jacket. "Can they see us?" William asked.

"No," Nyx said, "this is merely an illusion, but…everything you see here is exactly how it happened in the past."

_Sanctus Espiritus!_

"You'll soon remember what they did to us," Musa heard Emeric say as he led her out into the hall, watching the scene play out before her as two men talked amongst themselves, one very familiar looking.

_In my darkest hours I could not foresee  
That the tide could turn so fast to this degree_

"All of our previous tests have been failures," a graying red hair man said frustrated. "If we don't hurry news will be leaked out and we'll be closed down!"

"Don't worry my old friend," a grey bearded man wearing glasses said patting the other man on the shoulder, "this time it'll work. We've already concluded that the younger the subject is the easier it is for adaption. Now, hurry, we must go. Those tests won't run themselves," he said guiding the other man towards a door down the hall.

"That's…" Musa began, unable to finish.

"Professor McArnald and Professor Waldo Franz Schaeffer," Emeric finished for her.

"Hopper…" the wolf A.I. murmured.

_Can't believe my eyes  
How can you be so blind?  
Is the heart of stone, no empathy inside?_

"We have no time for this!" Hikaru said angrily. "We need to find Musa!"

"Relax," Nyx said smoothly, "and watch. You know you want to"

_Time keeps on slipping away and we haven't learned  
So in the end now what have we gained?_

William watched as the lone scientist who was in the room, unaware of their presence, jumped when the doors to the room opened as a crowd of white lab jacket men and women entered, all surrounding a wheeled stretcher.

"Professor Gershwin!" one of the people surrounding the stretcher cried out towards the man. "It's time! The subject is ready!"

"What's going on?" William asked as the scientist began rushing around the room.

"Delivery," Nyx said simply.

Dunbar didn't really realized the importance behind her words until he noticed the female on the stretcher; ivy green hair and rose petal pink eyes exactly identical to the girl standing next to him.

"What's going on?" Cascada growled also seeming to note who the familiar green hair girl was.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Nyx asked looking completely innocent. "You're about to deliver."

The plant A.I. was about to comment when a horrendous scream emitted from her past self. "Get the anesthesia!" Professor Gershwin cried out.

"This…this can't be-" Cascada said shaking her head, unknowingly trying to back up. When she wasn't able to, she looked down at the ground noticing that her feet were encased in Earth, William's too. A slight shift in a corner notified her that it was the Earth A.I. she had fought with days ago.

"Let us go!" William demanded.

"I'm afraid that can't happen," Nyx said pressing holding a necklace around her neck, a light engulfed her and when it receded, Esen, the paper manipulator was in her place. "She must be reminded of her sins."

_Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour  
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us  
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve__,  
Can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?_

"What is this room?" Musa questioned fearfully as she saw rows and rows of operating tables underneath a machine with spider like claws each going down to one of the tables below and connecting to thin hanging metal like pieces.

Emeric face seemed to twist in anger as he saw guards escort four young children into the room. He glanced from the corner of his eyes as he saw Musa take a step backward.

"T-those kids…they look…are they?" she asked looking at him for some sort of confirmation.

"Yes," he nodded, before both of their heads snapped back to the scene before them, watching as the raven hair girl began to scream while a dark hair boy tried to fight off her captor.

Musa looked on, horrified as one of the scientists stuck a needle into the boy making him immediately collapse. With little to no effort, the remaining guards picked up the other two children, a blonde and a red head, and took them to the operating table where all four of the children were strapped onto.

"What are they doing this to them?" Musa asked tears running down her face. "_Why _are they doing this?" she grabbed his sleeve

"They're monsters who wanted to take away our freedom," Emeric replied heatedly as the metal pieces of the machine were attached to the children and the pain began, their innocence taken away by these crazed scientists.

_Are they themselves to blame, the misery, the pain?  
Didn't we let go, allowed it, let it grow?_

Cascada covered her mouth, tears running down her cheeks feeling the need to gag but she couldn't as her eyes seemed to never strand from the horrendous scene before her. She didn't understand. How could this have been possible? She didn't remember this so that meant it wasn't true…right?

"_**It is true," **_a voice echoed in the recess of her mind, the statement seeming to add more weight onto her as she knew what it said was true…wherever it came from.

"Honestly," Esen or Nyx, whatever she wanted to go by, sighed, "you shouldn't be so shocked. Each of the test subjects were paired up like animals forced to breed. Really sickening though, that some one of your strength was easily subdued by mere humans."

"Stop this!" William yelled. "Can't you see she can't take this?"

"Oh, that's exactly why I'm doing this," the paper manipulator said walking around the two. "I want to see the great Titan Rose on the floor in a fetal position, wishing she were dead."

"Why?"

"Oh, no need to rush things," she smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."

_If we can't restrain the beast which dwells inside  
it will find it's way somehow, somewhere in time  
Will we remember all of the suffering  
Cause if we fail it will be in vain_

Emeric let a small triumphant smirk play across his face as the girl beside him clutched onto him. He bent down so his head was resting on her shoulder. "What you're about to see, don't blame yourself. These _people," _he said indicating the scientist, "are the real monsters. Anything that we did against them was for our own protection."

The girl felt herself being pushed away as she found herself in a room that she hoped was only real in her nightmares.

Scientist stood around a cylinder shaped container, a figure submerged in its thick green liquid.

Musa tried to turn away but she found Emeric standing behind her, forcing her to watch as a long crack began to run down the cylinder.

_Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour  
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us  
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve__,  
can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?_

She watched horrified as the scientists were easily murdered, their blood pooling on the floor.

"Such a beautiful goddess," Emeric murmured nuzzling his face into the crook of Musa's neck as the once entrapped Lana squeezed the neck of another unfortunate scientist, taking away his life with the blood that spilled. The girl didn't seem to notice as blood splattered on her nude form. Her long damp hair clung to her body like a veil and her glowing electric blue eyes were tinted with murderous red. "Such power," Emeric said encircling his arms around Musa's waist, pulling her closer to him. She didn't protest. She was too shocked and horrified to do much of anything.

The blood splattered girl turned her gaze on the lone standing figure; the man which she knew so well. They both seemed to stare at each other before the girl clutched at her head, shaking it furiously. "No," she murmured screwing her eyes shut.

"Lana…" the man said taking a cautious step forward.

"_**Don't call me that**_!" the girl shouted as wave of sonic sound threw the man at the wall.

"Hopper!" Musa called out reaching towards the man.

"Don't pity him!" Emeric hissed, tugging her harshly backwards. "You already did enough in the past! You had the opportunity to kill him."

"But I didn't…"

"No, you didn't…" he sighed as the girl before them grabbed one of the scientist's jackets and put it on, running out of the room. "But at the time, you were worried about more pressing things."

"Like what?"

The copper hair man holding her smirked as she turned her around, whispering something in her ear.

_Sanctus Espiritus!_

The sounds of crying out finally ceased, replaced by heavy breathing as the delivery was over.

"Congratulations," Nyx said with a tone of scorn, turning to Cascada. "It's a girl."

The girl on the stretcher seemed to relax as the scientist held the new baby. One of the scientists held it holding it under its arm. After a few seconds he stated, "It's not breathing."

All air seemed to rush out of Hikaru as the scientist began their frenzy again as the new born child continued not to breathe.

_Sanctus Espiritus!_

A small rise of the chest! It wasn't that noticeable but she saw it. "It's breathing!" she cried out towards the unaware scientist. "Look!"

Her other self, the one on the stretcher also seemed to notice this but didn't speak a word as the scienrists soon gave up.

"It's breathing!" Cascada shouted again, not noticing as her feet were released and that she was now running towards the scientist that was carrying off the baby, but all she did was past through him. "Where is he taking it?"

"To the furnace," Nyx replied tonelessly. "It is of no use to them, a failed experiment. They need to get rid of the evidence do they not?"

"But it was alive!"

"I know that and you know that, but why didn't you say something then? Hm?" Nyx questioned strolling towards her. The plant A.I. found her legs weak as she collapsed to the ground. Nyx stood behind her. "But don't fear. The child was saved before the inferno's blaze took her life. She's alive today and she remembered everything since her birth because of her highly developed mind. She knew her mother saw her breathing. She knew that her mother just sat there not doing anything even though she could, even though the drowsiness caused by the anesthesia had worn off shortly after she had been ejected with it," Nyx growled angrily before her features relaxed going into a smile. "But no worries. She lived on with one goal in mind," the paper manipulator said forming a sword in her hand.

"Cascada! Move!" William shouted trying to move but the earth A.I. in the corner stepped in front of him blocking his view.

_"__In my field of paper flowers," _Nyx sang softly as she raised the sword over her head.

Cascada looked over her shoulder with lifeless eyes as she murmured, "_And candy clouds of lullaby."_

"How wonderful! You do remember me…mother," Nyx said before she swing the sword down at the unmoving plant A.I.

_Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour_

Before the sword could even touch Cascada, the paper manipulator found a fist punching her in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. The Earth A.I. made to attack but she found herself squeezed in black smoke until she went unconscious. William let go of the girl as he was released from his holdings. He looked at the person who had saved Cascada, shock, confusion, and nostalgia running through him as he saw waves of soft pink hair.

"Hurry! We need to move!" he was ordered before he, Cascada, and their savior were swept up into a pink light.

_Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us_

Emeric fingered a curl of raven hair as he knelt next to the weeping figure. He couldn't help keeping the triumphant grin off his face. She knew and now she would never be able to look at humans the same way again.

He felt a sword pressed against his neck and looked up casually to see a white hooded man holding a dragon scaled hilted sword. "Ah, so you finally made your appearance," Emeric chuckled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to arrive." The ice and the fire A.I. appeared next to Emeric, weapons at the ready. "Sadly, you won't be able to stay long." He motioned for the two artificial intelligences to attack, but when they didn't the grin on his face grew seeing that they were frozen in mid attack. "And thus they were attracted like flies to a light."

_Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve,_

_Can__ we break free from chains of never-ending agony?_

The white hooded male looked from the corner of his eyes, slightly surprised at the other person in the room hidden within the shadows. "Hurry and take her now!" the person, a female ordered. The hooded male came out of his shocked and wearily picked up Musa who seemingly didn't even notice what was going on around her.

The white hooded man nodded in thanks before a white sphere surrounded him and Musa, and then they were gone.

The ice and fire A.I. became unfrozen, looking confused as they saw that the white hooded man was no longer there.

Emeric stood up. "You're not going to escape?" he questioned raising a brow.

"No," the person said as a flash surrounded them and they stepped out into the light. "I'm not running away this time," caramel eyes said with a determined look.

"Good," Emeric nodded turning to his two shocked companions. "Brooke. Cassie. Take our guest to her room. She must rest before the big day."

_Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour (Solemn hour!)  
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us (All around us!)  
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve__,  
can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?_

Nyx slammed her fist down angrily. "I almost had you mother."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

They all watched as Aelita paced back and forth worriedly, biting at her nails.

"Calm down," Jeremy said finally getting up and stopping the girl. "They'll be okay." The girl held a look of disbelief in her eyes but she nodded nonetheless.

Jim, who was on the phone hung up. "We got conformation from our back up. They safely have Cascada, William, and Musa."

"Where are they?" Aelita and Emma said at the same time.

"They just arrived. We need to head towards the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Yumi asked.

"I thought you said that these back ups of yours safely had the others?" Ulrich said getting up.

"They are safe," Jim said walking out the room, the other following, "physically…"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

William leaned against the wall, looking at the two sedated females on the infirmary beds, afraid that if he moved the rest of the world would come crashing down on him.

"_You had a kid?" _he thought.

"_**Neither you or she needed to know," **_Leon replied.

"_Like hell we didn't!" _Leon didn't answer the one time William wanted him to talk.

The doors opened revealing the rest of the Lyoko gang, Jim, and his mother.

"Will!" Emma cried hugging the boy. She paused when she noticed that he wasn't hugging back. She looked behind her to see the others staring at the motionless figures of Musa and Cascada.

"What's wrong with them?" Jeremy asked.

"They're sedated," a voice replied as two figures appeared between the two beds. Aelita, Jeremy, Yumi, Ulrich, and Sissi jumped in shocked at the sudden appearance. There was a man wearing a long white hooded jacket that hid his face over a white shirt and black pants. The woman wore an outfit very similar to Aelita's original one except for the skirt was much longer going to below her knees.

The group only caught a quick glance of their outfits before a flash of light and they were in their Earth forms. "Ozzy? Anita?" Aelita said a look of surprise on her face.

"No," William said shaking his head. "They're really Franz and Elena Hopper."

"M-mommy? D-daddy?" Aelita gasped tears threatening to fall. It was just at that moment that the door opened revealing a guard, he stepped aside as the last person they expected to see stepped inside.

Feeling the immediate tension in the room the person said the one thing they could think of: "Who died?"

"ODD!"

* * *

I really need to do something because I feel like this chapter totally let me down and I was looking forward to it too. Ugh. I don't know. Anyway, some questions have been answered and a lot more questions have come up. Also something unexpected! Cascada had a kid! Yeah, I know Nyx is older than Cas, but Cas was in the supercomputer for a good portion of her life and also remeber that Terran said that A.I.s can change their aging speed with the help of a supercomputer.

So, who was expecting that? If any of you have questions about what's going on in this chapter, because I know it was kind of confusing, then please ask me about it in a review. I'll either answer you directly or I'll add it to the Hopper's explanation next chapter.

Anyway, I was originally going to use another Within Temptation song (Jillian- I'd give my heart) seemed to fit better. Also, while I'm on the topics of songs, I appreciate suggestions but at this point in the story, since it's so close to the end (7-10 more chapters I think plus an epiloguge) I already have a basic ideas of songs that I'm going to use so please don't feel bad if I don't use your songs. I really try to think about the songs that I use and how it relates to what's going on in the story. For this chapter I knew I was going to use this song for about three months, so yeah...that's how long I think about stuff like that.

One more thing about songs. Do you guys think I use too many songs? I mean do you read a chapter with one of the songs in it and be like "did she really need to put a song in for this chapter?" Just wanted to know because I'm afraid that I'm killing this story with too many songs and there are about 2-4 more songs that I'm planning on using in this story.

LOL! Almost done with this authors note. Just thought to tell you guys that I'm doing a remake of my original Peter Pan story so please check it out. It's kind of different from the original one so everything isn't repeated and when I think about it the plot is kind of different too but it has the same characters! (I think...)

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	30. Beauty from Pain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or the song _Beauty from Pain _by Superchick. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other characters that are in this story.**

**Beauty From Pain**

_The lights go out all around me  
One last candle to keep out the night  
And then the darkness surrounds me  
I know I'm alive  
But I feel like I've died  
And all that's left is to accept that it's over  
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made  
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder  
I feel like I'm slipping away__…_

* * *

Jim looked at the scrawny mousy looking man before him, supposedly one of the best doctors in the world. "Any changes?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir," the doctor looked regretful, "Program 52-"

"Musa," Jim said.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor said confused.

"Her name is Musa and you'll refer to her as that. You'll refer to her sister as Cascada. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," the other man said gulping nervously. "Anyway, um, like I was saying, since we taken Pro- I mean, Musa and Cascada off sedation they seem to be okay physically."

"Seem to be? Physically?" Jim questioned becoming really impatient.

"Yes sir, I can see no signs of any bodily harm on them but of course I'm not totally sure because I can't get to close to them."

"Dr. Dietz! They are children just like any others who were unfortunate enough to be forced into something they couldn't have even understand so don't tell me that you won't get close to them!" the gym teacher said backing the doctor into a corner.

"It's not that I don't want to get near them!" Dietz cowered. "It's just that I can't! The girls seem to have gone into a metal state that they're very defensive of who can come into their personal bubble. At the moment, Musa will only allow that boy, uh, Weird-"

"Odd."

"What?"

"That's his name," Jim corrected. "Just, go on."

"Um, yes," Dietz said pushing the glasses back up his nose. "Odd and the pink hair girl, Aelita, I believe her name is, are the only ones that Musa will allow close to her though she seems to cling on to the boy like a lost puppy," he chuckled before clearing his throat. "Pardon the pun."

Jim ran his hand through his hair. "And Cascada?"

Dietz sighed. "She's even worst. Unlike Musa who will either shy away from others Cascada is in a somewhat hostile state. The Asian girl, Aelita, and Agent Emma Dunbar are the only ones she'll allow close to her."

"She's not allowing William?" Jim asked surprised.

"No. She seems especially hostile towards him. Either way you put it," Dr. Dietz shrugged. "They're like powerful temperamental three year olds."

"What they must have went through," he sighed leaning his forehead against the wall before glaring at Dietz. "Can't you do anything?"

"I'm sorry but the workings of the human mind is already complicated enough as it is. There is no way that I can think of that'll take the two out of their current states and keep their personalities. I'd advise you to talk to Schaeffer. He would probably know more than anyone."

Jim chuckled grimly. "The man hasn't had actually human contact in years. I wonder if he even remembers compassion." The brunette sighed before straightening up. "One more thing, and then you can leave. Have you done the scans on Odd?"

"Yes," Dietz said looking like a child waiting to open his Christmas presents. "It's absolutely unbelievable but all injuries, even the ones that were feared that surgery wouldn't be able to fix are all completely healed and gone. It's really unbelievable! It should have taken him months to heal but he's walking around like nothing happen in less than twenty-four hours! It's a medical mystery!"

"It's a mystery all right," Jim sighed.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

It was the moment she had been waiting for; to finally be able to sit with both of her parents again, like a family. And yet…she couldn't find happiness in this moment. It wasn't right that she should be enjoying this time when her sisters were unable to.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" his hand held hers.

"_Yes,"_ she thought.

"Of course not, Daddy," she smiled lying through her teeth. He bought it easily and she felt a part of her heart crumble. She vaguely remembered a time where he could easily tell that she was lying.

"Dear," Elena said, a little more aware to the inner turmoil her daughter was feeling, "don't you need to check up on Musa and Cascada?"

The man looked hesitatingly at his wife and daughter before getting up and leaving the room after kissing them both on the forehead.

_"He's not even willing to help his other daughters."_

"Aelita," her mother said softly. That was all that was needed for the well of tears to break from the pink hair girl's eyes as her mother softly comforted her.

This wasn't anything like she expected. She had expected to feel elated, finally with her mother and father but, not at the cost of her sisters.

Blood didn't matter. The bond that they shared was enough. The bond that the whole Lyoko group shared was enough for a family. She just wanted her entire family together again. Was that too much to ask for?

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Why am I even still here?"

"I was wondering that same question too."

A pointed glare. "Ulrich! Let's see if we can leave!"

"You can go, Sissi," the brunette boy said staring out the window at the expanse of snow covered land. "Jim cleared you and you can leave whenever you want to."

"Then why don't you come with me?" the girl pleaded.

His grip tightened on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. The bothersome girl had no idea how much he wanted to strangle her.

"Sissi," Yumi said calmly. "None of us are leaving until Musa and Cascada are back to normal."

"Yeah," Jeremy added. "If you want to go you can. We're not stopping you."

Sissi bit her lip before sighing and returning back to her seat. "I'll stay."

"Then two rules," Ulrich said turning to her. "No whining and don't get in the way," he said before getting up and leaving the room.

"I better go with him," Yumi sighed getting up and following after the boy.

"So…" Jeremy began to fill the awkward silence since only he and Sissi were the only ones left. "Uh…."

"I have no chance with him, do I?" the girl cut him off, her voice sounding much older and if the computer whiz was correct, more…mature.

"Uh, well no," he said simply.

The girl chuckled bitterly. "Thought so," she murmured discreetly wiping the moisture from her eyes by pretending to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Uh…w-well I'm sure you'll find someone," Jeremy said stepping into uncharted territory. Though he and Aelita were officially together he was still no where the romantic like some of his other male friends.

Sissi laughed. "Thanks I guess. I bet my problems are nothing compared to what you've guys have done for what? The past three years?"

"Believe me, I would rather worry about a zit then-then this" he said spreading his arms out to indicate the situation that they were in.

"But this is what brought you and the others so close together. A lot of people would love to know that their friends are actually their friends and not just people out to get something from you," Sissi said solemnly.

"Well," Jeremy said standing up, "I guess we're lucky," he smiled. "Whether you know it or not. You already have two definite guys waiting for you back at the hotel," he said before he too left the room.

"Those idiots," Sissi snorted to herself before taking out her cell which she had recently gotten back from the interrogation agents. She turned it on only to find her screen filled with text messages from Herve and Nicolas, all asking if she was okay and whether she was mad at them for some trivial matter that they seemed to take way out of proportion. "Honestly, what would those two do without me," she sighed but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she got to work on replying to the two boys' messages.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm okay."

"You don't seem like it."

Ulrich caught the small stress ball that he had thrown up into the air before throwing it back up again. From the corner of his eye he peered at the dark hair girl sitting on the edge of his bed. She gazed back at him, telling him that she didn't believe for one minute that he was okay. It was one of those bitter sweet moments, knowing that the girl of your dreams who was alsoone of your best friends could read you so well without even having to tell her anything. It made lying to her an exhausting challenge that at the moment he had no energy to deal with.

"It's my dad."

"Did he say something?" Yumi asked leaning down next to him on the bed as he made room for her.

"I don't know. This-It's just over whelming. You know, finding out that your dad used to work for some top secret organization."

"Odd seems to be dealing well with it."

"Yeah but he's Odd," the samurai pointed out. "Besides, at this moment, his dad's past is the least of his worries."

"I feel sorry for him," the geisha warrior sighed turning to the brunette. "Every time he seems to find something good for him…"

"It's taken away and he's left bruised and hurt," Ulrich finished.

"Right, but you're changing the subject. We can't really do anything about Odd's problems at the moment. Let's deal with yours."

"What about yours," Stern said bitterly as he started to throw the small ball back in the air again.

Before he could catch it, it was snatched away and without even looking he could tell that the Asian girl was looking at him with eyes that begged him to take her mind off of her own problems. He sighed. The things he did for her.

"Well, it just makes me wonder that if my dad was hiding something this big away from me, what else could he be hiding?" he said sitting up, running a hand through his messy brunette locks.

Yumi sat up too with him. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know," she said, "I heard somewhere that the goal for a parent is to make sure that they can give their children the life they never had so that they can later do the same for their children."

"What are you trying to get at?" Ulrich asked inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Just that…that maybe your dad isn't a total bad guy."

The boy pulled away from her, looking at her incredulously. "Are we talking about the same man? Evan Stern, my father?"

"Just here me out," Yumi sighed. "Maybe the reason why your dad forces you to be the best is because maybe his dad didn't; maybe he doesn't want you to repeat the mistakes he made in his life. Not because he loves making your life miserable but…because he loves you."

"Love? My father doesn't have a heart," the boy snorted.

"I bet he does" the girl said pulling her knees to herself. "He just needs your help showing it."

"You seriously must be on something," Ulrich said leaning back down on his bed and turning his back towards her.

"You know, you're being really stubborn for someone who doesn't want to be like their equally stubborn father," Yumi snapped getting up and leaving the room, slamming the door on her way out.

Ulrich gripped the stress ball that the girl he had left. He squeezed it in his hand but it did nothing for him. Frustrated he threw the ball at the wall hard before putting back on his shoes heading for the door. A super secret high tech base like this had to have some kind of gym or training room where he could relieve his stress.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

A body was thrown against the wall by a large spark of electricity. "William! You need to stop!" his mother cried as she rushed over towards him. She glared at her son's attacker before her gaze softened at the strawberry blonde with her knees drawn to her, a far off look in her eyes. "William," Emma sighed turning back to her son. "You really need to stop. You can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do," she said softly rubbing his back as he sat up.

"I think I really messed up, mom," he sighed. "Sometimes it was hard to even tell if we were actually together. I'm really an idiot."

"Will-"

"No," the boy said shaking his head. "Cascada told me, Musa told me, even _he _told me," the teen said pointing to his head. "I tried to not be like Leon and in the end, it only made things worse."

Emma got up and walked across the room towards Cascada, guiding the girl to her bed where she tucked her in. "Sleep," she whispered to the plant A.I. who slowly nodded, showing some kind of comprehension as her once vibrant green eyes closed. The woman then turned back to her son. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" she said in a voice that held no room for argument.

The shaggy hair teen nodded as he followed his mother out the door and into the empty hallway.

"You know," Emma said after a few minutes of silent walking, "we all strive to do something, to make ourselves different so we'll shine brighter against others but sometimes…when we try to hard we end up loosing our path."

"Mom, I think I heard this before," William sighed rolling his eyes.

"Then you'll hear it again," Mrs. Dunbar said tugging on his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! Mom my ear!"

"Now, like I was saying," the woman spoke ignoring her child's protest of pain. "Sometimes we loose the path that we're meant to take because we think it's not the best one. You, my dear, unlike most people have more than two paths set before you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" William said rubbing his sore ear when she finally let go of it.

"I mean," Emma sighed, "that you feel cheated because you're not sure whether or not the real you is just a computer programming, but you forget," she said poking his head and then his heart, "that Leon isn't the only one there. You have the presence of that poor boy that was dragged into this horrendous experiment in you. So don't think of yourself as just another Leon clone. You are the only one making sure that that little boy's sacrifices were not for not." Emma chuckled before pulling her son into a hug. It surprised her that she hadn't notice how much taller than her she was. "I know I probably just added a lot more weight to your shoulders but," she said biting her lip as tears fell, "I just want you to know that you're so important to not only me but to all of your friends."

"Why are you saying this?"

Emma pulled away from him with a watery smile. "I just don't want you to forget who you really are. I know I haven't been totally honest with my past, but I'm still your mother. I hate seeing you in pain and pushing away the people who really care for you."

"But-"

"No buts," she said silencing him with a finger. "You should really rest."

"Cascada-"

"Is in a state where she needs you the most," Emma said, "but you won't be any help to her if you don't understand what she's going through, what she's been through."

William sighed leaning against the wall. "Thanks, mom," he whispered tiredly.

"No problem, hun," the woman smiled before walking off, leaving him room to think.

"Understand what she's going through…" he whispered to himself staring out the window. Instead of seeing the snow covered scenery of the world outside he saw the image of the one person who could possibly answer all his questions. "Tell me…everything."

A tired smirk. "_**Took you long enough," **_Leon began.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Another yawn escaped Odd's lips, the seventh in the last half hour as he continued to hold the tray full of food. His father looked concerned at him but Ken Della Robbia didn't speak. He knew the reason why his son was so tired.

"So, do you need anything?" Ken asked as they made their way down the hallway.

"Other than getting the police and media off of Musa's back and thinking of a believable excuse for why the band suddenly went missing, no," the boy replied shrugging.

"Jim's already taking care of the police. Once he's done no one will probably remember the roof incident."

"Oh! So you guys got those cool flashy light pen things that erases people's memories?" the boy grinned. Ken held a new respect for his son. Odd hid his emotions well, so well that even he, his own father couldn't tell.

"No," Ken said shaking his head. "Sorry, that's only in the movies, kid."

"So…another question," the cat warrior said. "Area 51…?"

"Is the United State's secret," the man said ruffling his son's hair as they stopped in front of their designated door. The light mood that the two had pretended disappeared as Odd stared expressionlessly at the door. Ken squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before walking away.

There was nothing he could say to his son. Odd had to do this alone.

The purple loving boy took in a deep breath before putting on one of his go-happy grins, the type that hid the pain he feeling. Balancing the tray on one arm he gripped the handle of the door, opening it.

He stepped into a room, the only contents including a bed, a table, and two chairs. "Musa," he called out, "I brought you some food." Odd frowned. Musa was supposed to be in the room and in her current state he knew that she didn't leave the room.

The boy stepped further into the room, his foot slipping before he caught himself. He looked down at the puddle of water he had stepped in. It led into the bathroom where more water was pooling out from underneath the crack of the door.

Forgetting about the food he held in his hands, he dropped the tray running towards the door. He briefly let out a sigh of relief when the door opened easily for him.

_"Please," _he thought as his frantic gaze searched the bathroom.

Musa stood, back towards him at the sink where the water spilled over the sides like rushing rivers. Odd walked slowly up behind her, coming into view in the mirror slowly so he wouldn't surprise her. "Musa," he said softly. The girl looked up at his reflection in the mirror before quickly bowing her hands and continuing what she was doing at the sink.

Odd finally was close enough to see what the wolf A.I. was doing to herself. Her hands were covered with soapy foam as she continued to scrub them furiously; the exposed skin an irritating red. She would scrub; rinse the soap off, look at her hands quickly before letting out a displeased cry and adding more soap onto her hands.

"What did I do?" she murmured to herself with a tone that frightened Odd. She sounded hysterical…insane… She suddenly stopped, turning herself to face him, soapy hands held out in front of her as she bit her lip so hard blood trickled down. "S-so much blood. So much blood on my hands…" She looked at Odd pleadingly, as if begging him to do something, but he had no clue what he was supposed to do. "It won't go away, Odd. No matter how much I scrub them, the blood doesn't go away!" She turned back to the sink beginning her scrubbing again.

"Musa," Odd said again, placing a hand on her shoulder but he withdrew when he felt a shock go through him. Sparks danced insanely around the girl and though Odd fell asleep during most of his science class he remembered clearly that water and electricity did not mix well. "Musa," he tried, gripping her shoulder despite the shocks that went through him. "You need to stop before you hurt yourself or someone else.

She turned a tear stained face towards him still scrubbing her hands, but at least the electricity had stopped.

"I'm sorry," she whispered tearfully.

Odd brought her close to him, tucking her head underneath his chin. "It's okay," he said rubbing her back reassuringly as she clutched onto the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Musa repeated again.

Odd brought her closer to him. "I'll always forgive you, Muse. Nothing to be sorry for."

He held her like he did many times before. He wanted to reassure her because no matter what, no matter how many times she may have stumped on his heart, he would always love her, no matter what…

A surprised squeak exited from Musa's mouth as she went limp in his arms. Odd looked down to see a dart sticking from her arm, a tranquilizing dart. The boy looked up furiously to meet the calm and even gaze of one Waldo Franz Schaeffer.

"It seems like Lana-"

"Musa," Odd corrected heatedly.

"_Musa _it seems has gone into a sense of hysteria. We'll have to put her in a more secure room."

"You mean a prison," Odd said picking up Musa's limp form in his arms. Hopper didn't respond. Though the cat warrior never had any feelings before towards the man, at the moment he could feel nothing but loathing towards the man who was treating his supposed daughter like another science experiment.

The boy pushed past the older man who still only appeared to be only a few years older than him due to the aging process he had used thanks to the scanners. Gently, Della Robbia placed the unconscious girl back on the bed before turning to the man who had yet to move from his position by the bathroom door.

"So, was it all lies?" Odd asked keeping his tone neutral.

"I have no idea what you could be indicating," Franz said pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Bull!" Odd growled letting his anger and frustrations take over him. "Musa and Cascada looked up to you as a father and in the last few days you have been treating them like experiments instead of people."

"Well they are, after all experiments," the man said matter of fact. Odd was about to retort but Hopper silenced him with his next sentence. "But you are right," he said looking down at Musa. "They are humans too. They were before. They were during. They still are now."

He walked over towards the wolf A.I. brushing a strand of her raven hair out of her pale face.

"I remember when Aelita was younger. She loved listening to stories, no matter how old they were. To her, the older they were the better." He looked over at the perplexed boy standing across from him. "Tell me something, Odd. Are you too old for stories?"

Odd stared at the man contemplating what he was getting at. He looked down at Musa. She would want this. He was doing this for her. "I'm only too old if there is no hot chocolate with marshmallows," the boy said giving a ghost of a grin.

Hopper nodded. "Then I shall get some. You'll probably need the sugar. This is a long story."

"Is there a happy ending?" Odd joked as the man made his way to the door.

Hopper paused looking over his shoulder. "That's up for you to decide."

* * *

_Here I am at the end of me  
Trying to hold to what I can't see  
I forgot how to hope  
This night's been so long  
I cling to your promise  
There will be a dawn__…_

After all this has passed  
I still will remain  
After I've cried my last  
There'll be beauty from pain  
Though it won't be today  
Someday I'll hope again  
And there'll be beauty from pain  
You will bring beauty from my pain

**_-Beauty from Pain by Superchick_**

* * *

Okay so I wanted to try something new with the song. Instead of having it throughout the chapter I put part of it at the beginning and part at the end. This chapter was more of a...filler I guess, but it doesn't really seem like one though I don't think much info was given in this chaper. More like the clam before the storm. Sorry for any grammatical or spelling problems. I'll fix them later.

Bad news. I probably won't be able to update as often because my computer decided to strike against me. In other words, it's broken for some unknown reason and I may have to pay 200 to 1000 U.S. dollars to get it fixed. So that's basically 100 dollars out of my savings and my allowance, in the worst case scenario, for the next possibly 16 months. Yeah, that stinks. And I only had the thing for a year! Funny how it stopped working a few days after the warranty was up.

Anyway, in other words, I expected to finish this story by the end of the summer. Now it looks like It won't be finished until Christmas, maybe even the next year.

There a new poll on my profile. So if you have time please take it. I wanted to get a better feel of the age group I'm writing for because I have some ideas for possibly the third story but they're kind of iffy. Not anything like lemons or anything but they are controversial a little and I hinted to them a little in this chapter. Hint: It deals with Sissi a little.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	31. Come and I'll Weave You a Story Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Just Musa, Cascada, and this story's plot.**

**Come and I'll Weave You a Story with No Happy Endings- Part 1**

It had taken about thirty minuets for Odd and Franz to get settled down – ten to get the hot chocolate ready; five where Odd complained about having too little marshmallows; another five for Franz to calm himself down in order to not kill the purposely petulant boy; and five more for Odd to find Sissi and ask for her to watch over Musa for him which she surprisingly agreed to without any persuasion or bribery. The remaining five minutes were spent in an awkward silence in a quiet briefing room that had a beautiful view of the surrounding forest – too bad neither the cat boy or Hopper were in a good mood for watching the wintry scenery.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the older man sighed, breaking the silence. "I don't know where to begin."

"The beginning seems like a good place," Odd suggested. "Though of course you shake things up and start and the end moving backward or start in the middle, ya know like the Odyssey."

"I would never guess you were one for ancient mythology."

"I have my days," the boy shrugged. "But let's be serious."

"I guess I'll start in the beginning," the father of his "cousin" replied. "The day I met the hosts of Lana and Rose…"

_**About 30 years ago…**_

He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. But…he found himself staring the cold hard truth dangerously in the face – it was like a harsh slap to face. He honestly regretted that men's night only he had with his colleagues – one of his final acts as a single bachelor before he married. He only remembered it as a blur. There was alcohol…_lots _of alcohol. He remembered a club of some kind and a woman that was not his fiancée – now his wife – that he couldn't put a face to and then waking up in a hotel bed…alone…and naked…with his wallet missing…

The man in the business suit handed him a clipboard with papers attached to it, which he had no other choice but to sign off on – like selling his soul to the devil.

The man in the business suit took back the clipboard once everything was signed. "I hope you will enjoy the new additions to your family and treat them like your own. If you have any problems or concerns feel free to call the number on this card," he said handing him said card. With a few more words of direction the business man was off and gone. That was when the weight of a meaningless drunken one night stand hit him as he found two pairs of eyes looking at him, from faces that clearly held some of his genetics.

Before he could even do or think about anything he heard the soft foot steps of his love coming up from behind him.

"Dear? Who was that?" she asked before she caught glimpse of the two new additions at her door. "Hello," she spoke softly kneeling to their height. "Who are these adorable children?"

"_Adorable?" _he thought looking down at the two young girls standing before him, the oldest no older than four. Their eyes unnerved him – haunted him – to the point where he couldn't look them directly in the eyes. They were innocence created by a dark and unmoral deed. There was no way he was going to allow these…these _mistakes _to ruin the life he had strived so hard to reach. His wife was pregnant with their first child and he wouldn't let these offspring of a whore taint that.

"Waldo?" his beautiful bride questioned concerned as she took a hand of each young girls hands.

"Oh, sorry dear, I, uh was just getting over the shock. These two are my sister's. It seems that she was killed in an automobile accident." It was so easy to lie to her because she so easily believed him making him hate himself more. He didn't deserve an angel like her.

"Oh, my!" she gasped. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Well, I did." It wasn't a complete lie. Their mother did die…of drug abuse and he did have a sister that died… twenty-five years prior due to a serious case of influenza.

"The poor dears!" she crooned sadly bringing the girls into a comforting hug. He turned away. He knew they were looking at him. _They knew_ that he was lying.

"Yes. The poor dears," he echoed lifelessly.

His current predicament found him the very next day waiting impatiently in the back of a crowded and noisy diner packed full with on break construction workers who were building a hotel not too far away.

"Can I get ya some coffee, hon?" a slightly older waitress sighed more than asked as she came to his table after being harassed by some of the more unmannerly construction workers a few tables down.

"Yes," he said trying to hide the nervousness in his voice, the shifting of his eyes, the look he wore as if he had committed a crime – at this point he might as well.

The waitress left leaving him alone to his thoughts. His wife had gone shopping with the girls to get them new clothes. Elena quickly got attached to things and it was only a matter of time till she got attached to the girls…only a matter of time before she realized the truth.

"Waldo," a voice startled him as a body slid into his booth. He looked up to see the person he had been waiting for: George McArnald.

"Do you still need subjects?"

McArnald raised a brow, slightly surprised by the sudden question. "I don't think this is the best setting to discuss this."

"I have two girls. Two girls that I need to disappear. I'll give them to you," Waldo said frantically ignoring the man's previous statement.

The man before him stared long and hard at his colleague, and to some extent, friend. "You're serious about this, aren't you? You were never a big supporter of my part of the project. I'm surprised you're willingly giving to me test subjects."

"I need them gone," was all he said.

The red hair looked at him thoughtfully once before nodding. "How soon can you bring them to the facility?"

He thought it over. Elena wouldn't allow anything less than a week before giving up the girls for whatever reason he managed to come up with. "A week."

"Then," McArnald said getting up. "I'll see you and my two new _guests _in a week." He left.

The glasses wearing man sat there in the booth for hours, unaware of the thinning diner crowd or the darkness outside.

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask ya to leave," the waitress said with a big burly grease covered chef behind her.

"Oh, yes," he said getting up to his feet – strange how his legs felt light and thin, unable to hold his weight – he dug into his wallet placing the first bill that came into his grasp on the table without even looking. "A tip," he murmured leaving behind the extremely large and unheard of tip.

"That must have been some damn good coffee," the chef murmured.

The cold air hit him like a brick wall. The weight of what he had just done, what he had talked to McArnald about finally registering to him and yet, he felt no regret. The two girls were merely a speed bump in his plan for perfection. They would soon be just a distant memory…

_**Present Time**_

"After that, I convinced Elena that the girls' father, who I said had been out of town during the accident, was coming to pick them up. I thought I was in the clear. Unfortunately," Hopper said, wiping his glasses to distract himself from looking at Odd, "I had witnesses."

_**Flashback**_

Waldo was working on his computer, slightly annoyed that it wasn't working as well as his more high-tech computer at work. Elena was asleep in bed. The house quiet save for her, and only hers, soft snore. He felt slightly more relaxed, though, knowing that his two little "problems" were now out of his hair…or so he thought.

He was somewhat startled when a screen popped on his computer, showing a wolf based female. The room was silent, before the female finally spoke. "You love the fetus that is in Mother's womb, do you not?"

"I do, Lana. Now, why are you not in stasis?" the man asked dreading where this was going.

"As humans say, I couldn't sleep. There was much on my mind, for example, those two girls-"

"Don't start anything, Lana," Waldo warned.

"I'm sorry but what you did to those girls…it doesn't compute properly. I thought you and Mother explained to us that good parents are to take care of their children no matter what."

"They weren't my children," he snapped.

"But you are their biological father."

"It was a mistake."

"You told us we must take the consequences for our actions no matter how bad the punishment will be," Leon's voice replied as two screens popped up – one showing Rose while the other showed Leon.

"Do not question me," the scientist said angrily. "I did what I had to do for-"

"For your own selfish needs," Rose finished.

_**End Flashback**_

"At first I didn't listen to them. I thought they didn't understand since they were only computer programs, but in reality I was the one who didn't understand."

"That's an understatement," Odd growled. "You sold your own kids away in order to save your own butt. How low can you get?"

"Apparently much lower," the older man sighed. "Originally, I was only supposed to work on the artificial intelligence section of Project Carthage but McArnald, the head of the super soldiers section, needed me to pair up the best host/A.I. matches and to observe any personality changes due to the merging."

"Merging?" the boy asked confused.

"The goal of the super soldier section was to create what every country's army wanted: soldiers that never got tired or hurt easily; soldiers that could efficiently take out the enemy even when they were out numbered. At first we tried to create completely artificial soldiers but that didn't work out to well. One reason was that it took years to create and stabilize just one single soldier and two, they were…well to put it simply, think of them with the mindset of that clone you children created to replace the boy, William. They just didn't have the right mindset of instinctual survival that we, as humans, have which was needed especially for unforeseen problems and spy/surveillance work."

Hopper paused, as if letting Odd digest his words, coming to his own conclusions. The teen gasped. "So…you put them together, a human and an A.I. to make-"

"The most indestructible soldiers imagined," Franz finished, "but apparently the merging technique, something similar to a more stabilized version of being possessed by a specter, had its own drawbacks too."

_**21 Years Ago**_

Though it had been several years since he felt any kind of emotion towards her, he felt his heart clench painfully at her heart wrenching sobs that were only barely muted by the glass that divided her from the rest of humanity.

"Since Lana has been placed inside her host, it seems the girl is not taking well to the mental strain," McArnald murmured coolly, writing down the information. "She's even inflicting injuries upon herself." He sighed turning to Waldo who had yet to speak a word. "Something the matter?"

"N-no," the man replied pulling his eyes away. "I should take her to the infirmary," he said about to the leave the room.

"Waldo, I know this must be hard on you since the host is technically your daughter but-"

"I'm not worrying about the host. Just make sure that Lana comes out of this undamaged. I worked to hard on her and the others of her division. If we have to we can just purge her of her host. There's still time left."

"Of course there is more time!" McArnald said suddenly angry. "But we don't have that time. We need to get these soldiers out and ready. I know that the A.I.s of the Titan Division were personally taught by you and your wife for more _human_ interactions if they don't shape up we'll have to make them complete blank slates. Their _emotions _are getting in the way of their duty. Just yesterday, Rose was supposed to get information from some prisoners and quickly exterminate them. She wouldn't kill a child that blew up one of our most protected forts because it _'wasn't right to kill a child'_ as she said".

"You find it wrong that they have a conscious?"

"No I just find it completely ironic that the machines have more of a heart than either you and I have put together," the red hair man sighed, placing a hand on Waldo's shoulder. "I watch you, my friend, and I know that somewhere deep down inside of you your regretting what you did to this girl," he pointed to the curled up figure in the next room. "But if it wasn't her, it would be another poor unsuspecting child, my son, Lucas, or even your young daughter, Aelita, even."

_**Present Time**_

"That was his excuse for everything. A kind of mantra he kept telling himself to make what we were doing less horrendous. But in the end it still led to the question_, 'If we wouldn't do this to our own children why would we do it to these ones?'"_

"Because you were all some crazed fruit loops!" Odd exploded. "Wouldn't do this to your own children? You _did _do it to your own children!" he yelled, knocking over the table that was between them. "How can you just sit there knowing all the horrible things you've done to them?"

"It's an art," the man shrugged. "But you can't entirely be mad at me. You must admit that somewhere deep inside you that you are grateful to me for doing what I did. If I hadn't, the girl you call Musa wouldn't be here right now."

Odd laughed; a bitter humor less laugh that sent shivers down Hoppers back. After all the years of Project Carthage, after all the years of watching this boy and his friends protect countless people everyday with his invention, he had never heard such a cruel and bitter sound.

"You're a fool," Odd said softly, the cold tone in his voice a weapon on its own. Was this the same boy, Hopper wondered. "If Musa would be happy, whoever she was before I met her, before you did so many cruel and inhumane things to her, I would give her up. Just to see her smile again. I'm not selfish like you, manipulating people so the odds turn out in your favor. I feel no appreciation towards you, only pity because Aelita has been waiting years to be reunited with you, the man she looked up to and soon…she'll realize that that man was nothing but a monster, a fake, who couldn't deal with his own problems. So tell me Waldo - or is Franz? – are you going to get rid of her too when you feel she doesn't fit into the equation?"

The older male was startled seeing the expression in the boy's eyes; a look that could make any man squirm in his seat. The boy's reaction was not what his calculations had expected. He expected the boy to be shocked and maybe frustrated but the cool indifferent composure the boy had at the moment was dark, discomforting, and to a certain point…twisted.

A knock was heard on the door and Hopper watched as Odd calmly walked to the door with barely another look at him. "What is it Sissi?" he heard the boy ask, his tone back to his normal carefree tone.

"She's asking for you," the girl answered. "She seems better. She's talking to other people, especially the doctors but she wants you."

"Okay, I'm on my way," Odd grinned. "And thanks Sissi. I owe you," he said before running off. Sissi quickly left after him, finding no reason to stay with the mysterious Hopper by herself, giving the man time to reflect on things.

He rubbed his temples gently. "I have a lot of transgressions I must repent for, don't I?" he murmured to himself staring out the window.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

When Odd rushed into Musa's room he found her talking to a doctor who was checking her vitals while the wolf A.I. ate a large bowl of what looked like melted ice cream.

The cat warrior was happy when he saw her eyes light up as he entered the room. Both teens waited silently, staring at each other while the doctor finished up his work before leaving with the reminder to ask for him if something should happen.

"Ice cream is good. Want some?" Musa asked holding out her spoon towards him. Odd chuckled taking the spoon as he sat down next to her on her bed. He also took the ice cream bowl but instead of eating some of the cream he put the spoon and ice cream aside.

Musa looked at him curiously, gasping in surprise as he brought her close to him, his lips pressed against hers. The girl didn't even think of struggling as she returned the kiss just as passionately.

"What was that for?" she asked softly once they parted.

Odd smiled. "Just for being you," he said before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Musa smiled back before frowning. "Odd, about…breaking up…I-"

The boy cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "No more sad talk," he grinned. "I already had enough for today and I'm sure you have had enough after what happened with Emeric."

"Emeric?" Musa questioned. "Wh-what are you talking about? And while you're answering that can you please tell me where we are and why we're in here. We need to get ready for the ball."

"Ball?" Now it was Odd's turn to look confused. "Muse, the ball was a few days ago. Don't you…don't you remember?"

The girl bit her lip before looking at Odd worriedly. "No. I don't…"

* * *

So after a few weeks I have returned! Sorry about taking so long. I finished band camp that ended with a concert that could have gone a lot better for the my flute section. I also got my computer back from repairs and I'll be moving to a new house next month yay!

Okay, so originally I was going to have the scenes switch back and forth between Leon and Hopper telling the story but things just got a little complicated on Leon's end so I just decided to put Hopper's part up for this chapter and Leon's for the next one.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW_**


	32. Come and I'll Weave You a Story Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I do own Musa, Cascada, some other characters, and this story's plot.**

**Come and I'll Weave You a Story with No Happy Endings – Part 2**

His ragged breathing was what kept her awake, alert. She was the only thing he had. She was the only one who could protect him after he protected her for years.

A finger traced his cheek and arms where scars should have marred his skin but they were gone. That was the genius of Emeric's power – total and complete illusion over both mind and body.

The skin on the boy's cheek rippled as she stroked it, slowly revealing the hidden scars at her touch. "Wounds of the body always heal. Wounds of the heart may never," she murmured softly. "But I doubt you would understand that," she said looking over towards a dark corner where two slited eyes watched her. "You, the one who has split from your humanity, do you not know of a heart?"

A chuckle. "You and your heroic sounding speeches," Emeric smirked stepping from the shadows of the cell she was held in. He cocked his head at her deep frown. "What? You do not like the room?" he asked motioning towards the empty room. "How about this?" he asked waving his hand, the room around them wavering and rippling before turning into a luxurious looking room with an inviting bed. "Does this suit your preferences?"

"In the end," she replied not moving, "all it is is nothing but an illusion. If I lie upon that bed, I'll only be on the cold floor." Her hand touched the ground that was covered with a soft orange carpet. The material darkened, fading away until it returned to the original hard floor of her cell.

"You were the only one who could see through me," Emeric chuckled kneeling in front of her. He wound a strand of her mocha color hair around his finger as she clutched tightly to the unconscious boy in her arms. "Isn't that right…" the man asked softly "…Sitara?"

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

He concentrated on his breathing, keeping it even and smooth as he went through a series of kicks and punches. Sweat trickled down his brow but he didn't notice. All that mattered at the moment was his fast racing heart, his body's form, and the urging need to release the tension and frustration that had been welled up within him for so long.

He got into a position, spreading his feet apart and bending his arms at the elbow, bringing them close to his body. He kicked with one leg, using the momentum to spin and kick onto the other leg, kicking away an imaginary adversary. He was surprised though when a hand caught his ankle.

Evan Stern stood before him, his leg in hand, wearing easily movable sweats, a strange sight since he was only ever seen in suits. Ulrich raised a questioning brow but his father didn't respond as he let go of Ulrich's leg. The man stepped back a few steps before bowing to his son and getting into a fighting position. The Lyoko warrior's face went from questioning to shock and greatly confused but nonetheless he took a few steps back before bowing and getting into a fighting position too.

He barely had enough time to block as a hand shot towards him followed by a well aimed foot to his side. Ulrich staggered back when he was unable to protect his side. He looked at his father whose face was smooth and expressionless as he waited for Ulrich to stand up straight.

Soon Ulrich was attacked by a series of complex combos that he could only block and even then, he was still getting attacked from other angles and sides. The boy quickly found himself on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the workout room and up at the frowning face of the man he, in the end, knew nothing about; his father.

_It just makes me wonder that if my dad was hiding something this big away from me, what else could he be hiding?_

"Is that really the best you can do?" Evan asked looking down at him. Ulrich noticed beads of sweat trickling down the man's flushed face and his labored breathing echoing throughout the room. "Is that the best I taught you?"

_The goal for a parent is to make sure that they can give their children the life they never had so that they can later do the same for their children._

Ulrich winced as he got up, ignoring the pain that throbbed at every part of his body. He took a step back, eyes never leaving his father's before getting into a fighting position. Evan nodded slightly before doing the same.

The tables had turned this time.

The samurai ran towards his father with precise speed, faking a punch to the left when he actually made a kick to the right. Evan staggered backwards at the force but straightened himself out. Ulrich didn't let the fact that he got a hit in distract him. Instead, he circled around his father before running again towards him. Evan spun on one foot to roundhouse kick the boy but Ulrich ducked, kicking the man's leg from under him.

The teen looked down at his father face expressionless just like his has been before he offered a hand down towards it. Evan took it but pulled Ulrich down. Surprisingly, the samurai had seen this coming and flipped over his father.

Both stood, tired and drenched in sweat but neither of them relaxed their stance. Suddenly, Evan collapsed to his knees, clutching the material of his shirt over his heart. Ulrich was startled at the pained expression on his father's face and knew this wasn't a trick.

He felt oddly disconnected from his body as he called out for help, kneeling beside his dad. The only thing the boy could do to comfort his father as the sounds of pounding feet grew was to take his hand. Evan looked weakly at his son, mustering enough strength to lightly squeeze his hand

_Maybe your dad isn't a total bad guy…he loves you…He just needs your help showing it._

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"I wont lie and say that the man who created me, the man you now know as Franz Hopper wasn't a monster, but he was a monster who was trying to do what he honestly believed was right for his family," Leon spoke as the subconscious image of blue digital codes swirled around him.

"That doesn't make sense," William admitted.

"Not all monsters are evil. They simply just follow the rules and regulations of their own, like people of different countries. You can't totally blame a person for a crime that they committed in one country if they were used to it being legal in theirs," the male A.I. explained. "Though it may seem wrong to you, to them it is perfectly reasonable."

"But then where is the justice?"

Leon smirked sadly. "That's the thing," he said turning to a transparent screen, placing his palm on it, before looking back at his shaggy hair counterpart, "there is none."

_**Flashback- Year: 1976**_

_**Leon's P.O.V.**_

Total number of artificial beings excluding self…ninety-nine…

Total number of artificial intelligence groups…twenty-five…

Total number of artificial intelligence groups that are permitted to survive…one…

Chance of Black Team survival rate…four percent…

_**P.O.V. off**_

Within a white, ongoing space where digital codes zipped back and forth like bullet trains, twenty-five groups of four figures stood. Each one looked exactly identical save for each groups identifying color.

"Begin," a bodiless voice spoke.

They rushed forwards, no thought at all than to merely complete their objective – to be one of the teams surviving.

"How's it going Waldo?"

The man sighed tiredly as he turned to face his fellow scientist. "Not so good. None of the artificial intelligence seems capable to have the potential to think for themselves."

"Really?" the man questioned. "Then what are those four doing?"

Schaeffer turned back around to face the screen, eyes and mouth wide. One team - the black team - was actually showing some sign of thought. The other teams were ruthlessly fighting and deleting each other while the black team…merely sat back and watched. He went through the team statistics. They were perfectly functional and had dealt no damage yet, though they were still sharing the same mind set. Finally, there were only two teams left – the black team and the white team. It only took a few seconds for the black team to divide and separate the other team before deleting them

"Incredible," Waldo murmured to himself.

"See? You must be doing something right," his colleague said patting his shoulder before leaving the room.

_**End Flashback**_

"At the beginning, we were completely mindless," Leon murmured as the scene of his earlier days ended. "It was only by a stroke of luck of some kind due to a technical glitch that we were able to devise a plan that more complex then those of the others. Even then, we still were far from what we are now," he said waving a hand at himself. "Our appearance changed and grew as we were updated, as we learned more about…being human."

"There were four A.I.s," William pointed out.

Leon sighed, turning around. "Yes, each intelligence of the group had a specific duty. I was leader and the hacker – a trait that Xana took from me -, Lana and Rose were the infiltrators, and…"

"Emeric," William suggested.

"Emeric was the name of the host, or so I suspect. I myself can only guess that my host – our host – name was William. Names were trivial and easily forgotten when you were treated like a lab rat. Anyway, the fourth A.I. was called H.E.B.I. – **H**eightened **E**nergy **B**alance **I**llusion."

"Let me guess," William frowned, "he can do something with illusions, right?"

"You've experienced it first hand but a few days ago," the male A.I. replied.

"So he was on your team?" the shaggy hair young man murmured. "What happened to him? Why did he-?"

"Why did he go bad?" Leon finished before shrugging. "There are always many different probable causes. One could be he got too smart and decided that working for humans was beneath him, or maybe he too was infected with a virus like the one I had. I'm not sure. I honestly can't even tell you when his feelings towards humanity changed. All I can tell you is that I, or should I say, my host didn't notice it until sometime after the merging process."

_**Flashback**_

They were taken, strapped, held against their will and then forced to share their bodies with some sort of unnatural computer being. The pain they felt was not physical but mental.

He bit against his lip, dark shaggy hair matted and drenched with sweat as he shakily got up to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall. In a corner sat the youngest of the four, curled up into a ball, her screams the loudest out of all them. Across the room, he could see the other female stare helplessly at her sister as she too tried to ward off her own cries of pain.

…Sister…

They were family…

He had no family…

No clue to who he was…or who despised him enough to throw him into this hell.

"Don't cry. Don't."

His head turned back to the corner where the dark hair girl was, no longer alone, accompanied by the red hair male.

"It hurts," he heard the girl whimper.

"I know," the red head said as he sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. The dark hair boy growled, taking a step forward but unstably and unnoticeably fell to his knees. His head felt heavy, thick with fog…or smoke…

"I hate them," the girl said.

"I do to and that's why they'll soon die for what they did to us."

"I don't think I can kill them, even though I want to," she murmured as her eyes began to slowly drop, exhaustion winning over the hours of torment.

"Don't worry," the boy sighed rubbing her back. "Leave that up to me."

"What are you saying, Hebi?"

The red head pulled slowly away from the girl, gently laying her on the ground. "I'm just comforting her, is that so wrong, Leon?"

The dark hair boy, who was Leon host, frowned as he stood up, temporarily suppressed by the artificial intelligence residing in his mind. "What is this talk of the human's death?"

The red head smirked. "You know as well as I that if we really tried we could break out from these walls," he said running a hand over the wall, "or at least liven this place up. It's so bare." The wall turned from white to a bright green at his touch.

"You'll get us all deleted," a voice hissed from the blonde female as she shakily got up to her feet. "That means death to the hosts! Don't do anything that will threaten these children's safety!"

"How motherly of you Rose," Hebi drawled. "But if you really wanted to save these children then you would do as I say. According to the logs before we were forced into these…water bags," he said making a disgusted look as he picked on the thin skin on his arm, "it won't be long till these children are forced to breed. I only fear for our Lana," he nodded towards the dark hair girl who was still unconscious. "She seems to have problems suppressing her host. Her lack of force will get her destroyed. And I for one do not want that. She is, after all, my tech mate."

"Only out of duty," Leon said taking a step threatening step forward.

"Of course," Hebi laughed. "What else would it be out of? Love? Hah! Those "human" lessons are really getting to you Leon, my friend."

"Like you haven't been emerging yourself in one of the most well known human emotions," Rose spat.

"And what is that?"

"Greed."

_**End Flashback**_

Leon hung his head as he continued to speak. "Ever since I was able to distinguish human traits I always thought Hebi was a fool and someone not to be trusted. I was right but also very wrong myself since I, too, was a fool. I did nothing to protect my division against what they needed the most protection against: the humans."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before he chuckled humorlessly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I was just thinking about the child – Nyx. She does have her mother's qualities now that I think about it," he said though to William it sounded like he was speaking more to himself then to him.

"Did you and Cascada…"

"No," Leon shook his head. "It was completely scientific. They got what they needed from me, put it in her, and then she was pregnant with our child about to deliver, all in the period of nine weeks."

William head snapped towards his double. "Wait. Don't you mean nine months?"

"No. Since the fetus isn't completely human it ages faster until it stops at a desired age. Cascada and I were the first to be tested to see if we could produce a child with enhanced abilities. If we could then a whole army could be created."

"And you would be used only to breed since the process was much quicker than just merging with a human child," William said, finding the answers to his own questions slowly being answered by themselves.

"Now you're getting it. We would have basically have been like Adam and Eve. A fitting comparison since the scientist of the project played with us like they were God," the A.I. scoffed. Leon's expression changed from angry to regretful. "It wouldn't have been so bad if it they were only doing it to Rose and I, but like with every experiment more trials and different variables had to be tested…Lana was…undoubtedly the strongest of us all. It only made sense that they basically wanted more of her…"

"Musa," William murmured strained, his hands clutched into fists at his sides. Leon looked at his clone, something akin to pity in his eyes before he suddenly snapped his head to the side.

"I'm afraid we must come to an end. It's getting harder to come into contact with you since I limited myself to a certain time frame," the A.I. said.

"There's more I want to ask you," William said taking a step forward. "Was everything in that video log we found months ago lies and how did you guys manage to get away from the scientist?"

Leon smirked, flicking his other self's forehead as the room around them slowly began to fade away. "If you really are my clone, you should figure it out soon enough," he said before his expression turned serious, "hopefully before it's too late. Remember, one choice, one decision can change the fate of many…"

William sat up in his bed, breathing heavily. "Damn cryptic A.I." he murmured.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

It was…awkward sitting in the same room with the girl who had tried for a couple of years to steal away the boy that you liked – now your boyfriend – away from you. Yumi seemed to fidget slightly in her chair, catching from the corner of her eye Sissi who was sitting across the room texting back and forth on her phone. The geisha supposed it was better than getting into a fight with the girl but it was still slightly weird that neither of them had try to chew the others head off.

"Ishiyama," Sissi said without looking from her phone, "I know you envy my beauty but just sitting their staring at me won't help you at all."

Yumi snorted. "As if," she said turning away.

"You know, I just came back from watching over Musa for Odd," Sissi said conversationally. "She seems back to her old self."

"Really?" Yumi asked intrigued. "That's good. I wonder how Cascada is doing."

"The same," the younger female said looking up from her phone. "I was bored and decided to check up on her. I really don't understand what's going on with Musa and Cascada but I can tell she doesn't look like she's getting better."

The geisha warrior tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Cas is always the one worrying about others though she tries to hide it under her "I-don't-give-a-crap" attitude." Her voice got lower. "No one could ever know if she should be the one worried about."

The room got silent once again.

"Who are you texting?" Yumi asked after awhile.

"Herve and Nicolas," Sissi said rolling her eyes at her phone. "Those two are convinced I was taken by some secret government agency and…I guess they're right, well except for the part about the aliens part."

Yumi chuckled. "I learned a long time ago to never rule anything out."

Silence again. The door to the room opened, Aelita's father stepping in. The man walked over towards the refrigerator on the other side of the room, seemingly ignoring the two girls.

Yumi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was weird knowing that the man she and the others had been trying to find was right in front of her – though in a younger body. Turning back to Sissi, she asked, "Hey, san you see if Herve and Nicolas know if Sitara is okay? She was in the bathroom when Jim and his squad team came in. I know that they didn't find her so…"

"They said they haven't seen her," Sissi said after a minute of texting. "But I bet she's okay. I mean, how far can a mute go without trying to ask for directions."

"Not funny, Sissi," Yumi hissed before looking at Hopper who had dropped a bottle of milk at the refrigerator. "Uh, sir? Are you okay?"

"Sitara," he murmured. "Is this the girl who was at the press conference with your band?" he asked voice toneless.

"Yeah," Yumi nodded.

A string of curses came from the man's mouth as he ran out of the room.

Sissi and Yumi stared after the man before looking at each other. "That could be classified as weird right?" Sissi asked. Yumi only nodded before her phone began ringing.

"Hello?" she answered before her eyes widened. "Dad?...WHAT!?"

"What's wrong?" Sissi asked worriedly as she got up.

"My parents are back together," the geisha murmured softly.

"Isn't that good? Why the glum look?"

"Because they're making me leave on a plane to Japan. Tonight."

* * *

Okay I want to apologize for two things. The long wait for this update and this incredibably crappy chapter. I always seem to get writer's block when a story is coming to an end. About 5 to 7 more chapter I think. Again, sorry for the delay. When I get writer's block it's not a complete block. What I mean is usually I get ideas for other stories, start them, and kind of neglect the stories that I still need to finish. Right now I'm caught up in the Soul Eater crazy. It's a rockin' manga and anime! I already have two stories up for it. Also, I fear that I'm loosing my intrest in Code Lyoko. Nothing is really inspiring for me so at this point, I'll finish this story, a Code Lyoko AU multi shot that I promised that only be about 4-5 chapters and then I'll probably be done. A third story looks slim at this point.

School is about to start so you know what that means. More work and less time to write though hopefully this story will be done by New Years.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!

As a gift I'll give you guys a character synopsis of one of the character in the third story (if I do one that is.)

_**Namer: **Terrance (subject to change)_

_**Parents: **Samantha Knight_

_**Siblings: **1 Alexis Knight- doctor in the army_

_**Age: **16-17_

_**Appearance: **dark skinned, spiky hair tipped red, gray eyes, red muscle shity under black leather jacket and rippped pair of jeans_

_**Interests: **showing off, working with cars_

_**Summary: **Coming from the rough ghettos of Paris, Terrance has learned that it's a hard life and you have to do anything to survive. It doesn't help that his mother, Sam, has been in a drunken state for eight years - around the same time when Alexis left to join the army. Terrance has already been in juvenille detention and due to a recent robbery he was involved in, he has two choices: preppy Kadic Academy or jail where a few not too nice people are waiting for him. Kadic it is. Terrance is good with his hands when working with machines and though he may not know the scientific mumbo jumbo, give him a wrench and it's fixed. Known as the tough rebellious guy many girls are intrigued by him though one in particular hates his guts..._

_Hope you liked!_

_Nothing more to say so...**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	33. No Longer Viewed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Wish I did but I don't so deal with it.**

**No Longer Viewed Behind Rose Colored Glasses**

_**About 21 Years Ago**_

It was amazing how everything she thought was true, how everything she believed and trusted, was nothing but lies. She trusted him and he shattered her world destroying the rose colored glasses she ignorantly viewed the world through…

A broken vase was thrown, just missing his head as he ducked down. "Elena, my love, listen…"

"No," the woman said in a low voice, tears running like rivers down her cheeks. "You lied to me!" she suddenly shouted, hysterically. "For nine years you lied to me!"

"I did it for you," Waldo defended though even now to him his excuse sounded, weak pathetic, unreasonable.

"For me!?" the rose hair woman cried throwing whatever she could get her hands on at him. "When have I ever asked you to sacrifice someone else's life for me? A child's life for mine?"

"They were a mistake…"

"And you own up to your mistakes! At least admitting you had an affair when it happened makes you more of a man than trying to hide it behind my back for years while also subjecting those poor innocent girls to…to…that torture that you say is for the good of man kind. They're children! We both know what's being done to them and it's not human!" The woman collapsed to her knees sobbing. "I don't think I can ever forgive you," she murmured softly.

"Mommy? Daddy?" a young child like voice came from the door way of the living room as a young pink hair girl called unsure from the door way. "What's going on? Why is stuff broken?"

Elena sniffed, putting on a bright smile for her daughter. "It's nothing, Aelita dear. Mommy just has butter fingers and accidentally let stuff slip. Nothing for you to worry about. Now, go back to bed while you're father and I clean this mess up."

"Okay," a young Aelita yawned rubbing her eyes as she sleepily made her way back upstairs.

"Elena-" Waldo began.

"If you ever want to repent for you did," the woman said in an uncharacteristically cold voice, "you need to get those children out. Then maybe I'll forgive you."

"I don't deserve forgiveness," the man sighed.

"You're right," Elena said walking out of the room to get a broom. "You don't…"

_**Present Time**_

It was a hard time for any mother when the time finally came; when the time that their children no longer needed them to depend on came. It was even harder for a mother who hadn't been able to see her children's growth, who was basically staring at a complete stranger.

Elena shut the door softly behind her, closing off the sound of Jeremy's soft words comforting a previously sobbing Aelita. The scene – what should have been a comforting scene – made the older pinkette's heart clench painfully. What type of mother was she if she couldn't even comfort her own daughters? One was just sobbing hysterically while the other two's mental states were at risk.

She was useless, unneeded, and unfit to be called a mother.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Elena looked up, not realizing that she had made her way into the medical ward. Here, a mauve hair woman had just been staring through a one way window into one of the rooms, Musa's room to be exact.

"Oh, pardon?" Elena said shaking her head as if to clear it from her recent thoughts.

"A penny for your thoughts," the woman repeated. "You seemed…distraught, but, I guess, what mother wouldn't be after seeing their children go through so much?" The woman chuckled sheepishly, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, I already know you from my hus- I mean, ex-husband. I'm Maria Della Robbia, Odd's mother."

"Elena Hopper," the pink hair woman said extending out her hand towards the other woman in a shake.

"I always wanted to meet the mother of the girl who stole my son's heart," Maria said. "I'm sad to say that I haven't been the most kind to Musa but you as a parent should understand."

"Understand?" Elena questioned. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean."

Maria leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. "Every good parent cherishes their children and in the end they have a hard time letting their child go out on their own especially when they are so used to always being there to catch them when the child falls. I guess that when I saw my son with your daughter, saying that _she _was the one I felt slightly disbelieving. I mean, I will admit that my son is- _was _a, how do you say it…ladies' man but when I looked in his eyes I saw something that I've never saw before in them. Something that I only saw in my hus- I mean ex-husband's eyes when we were young and naïve."

Elena smiled softly. "I think I know what you mean. Our children have found something we lost."

Maria raised a brow as Elena stared through the window into Musa's room where Odd was tenderly holding her hand.

"Love."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Ulrich leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He stood on the other side of the room, distancing himself from the other unconscious but stable person in the room. The doctors had left only a few minutes ago with the confirmation that Evan Sterns, age forty-six, had a weak heart, a condition he had known about since he was a very young and one that Ulrich, his only son didn't even know about. His father could have died. The truth seemed to slap the brunette in the face harshly.

The boy slid down the wall, hands held together in two tight fists at his sides as his vision blurred. No, he wouldn't cry for this man who had constantly pushed him to go beyond his limit. The same man who criticized everything he did, who verbally bullied him. Why should he cry for this man?

Because he was his father. The man that raised him. The man that, according to Yumi, loved him.

Ulrich waited…and waited…and waited…but the tears would not fall.

He couldn't cry for his father. No. He wouldn't. His father had taught him all through his life that crying was weak and that when you cried for someone you were simply only pitying them. He wouldn't pity his father. Crying wasn't going to help. He would let his father have his dignity, to be still be thought of as strong, indestructible, and intimidating.

As a son, that was all Ulrich could give him.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"I…I pushed you off a roof?" Musa said in shock horror and disbelief.

"No, no, no!" Odd said squeezing her hand tighter in his as he used the other to softly stroke her cheek. "It wasn't you. It was a specter."

"Impersonating me."

Odd sighed. "Yeah."

"And everyone thought it was me?"

"No!" Odd said shaking his head. "The others didn't believe it for a second!"

Musa took a deep breath nodding. "What happened after that?"

"I-I really don't know for sure, but the others told me that this guy came into the hotel room and took you away right as Jim and his men burst into the room. We…we don't know what happened to you between that time and the time Cascada and William went to look for you," Odd said softly, his shoulders visibly shaking. If anything had happened to her, when he wasn't able to protect her, he….wouldn't know what to do.

The wolf A.I. sighed, leaning her head against his in a comforting manner. They both needed it.

"Your mother is talking to mine," she informed softly.

"How-" Odd began to ask before the girl smirked, pointing to her ears. "I forgot. You can hear pretty well."

She shrugged. "I can control it usually. You know, tone it down but, it's weird actually. In all sense, I should have the basic hearing of any human, whether or not I'm connected to a sector or a tower."

Odd pulled away, looking off to the side. "Have you…have you ever wondered if it's because of something else?"

"Something…else?" Musa pondered out loud. "Like what?"

Odd ran a hand through his hair. Was it really his place to tell her? If he didn't tell her would she ever find out? It was obvious that Waldo, or whatever the heck his name was, wasn't going to tell her. The man had somehow expertly woven a web of lies to not only his family but maybe to himself also…

Both teens jumped, startled as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Musa called. The door opened revealing a slightly tired William. "For lack of a better phrase, bro, you look like hell."

The shaggy hair teen let a relieved smile cross his fatigue expression. "You're back to normal."

"Hai," Musa nodded grinning before it slowly slipped away. "Odd told me about what happened while I was…out, I guess you can call it. Do you know how Cascada is?"

William sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. To Odd, the older boy looked like he had the weight on the world on his shoulder, but when he thought about it, didn't they all?

"When I heard that you were okay, I wanted to stop by to see Cascada. When I did…" he trailed off.

Musa pushed herself off her bed heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Odd asked.

"I'm going to see my sister," the wolf A.I. said coolly over her shoulder.

"You can't go," William said grabbing her by her shoulder. "She's getting worst and worst by the hour. She's no longer allowing anyone to get near her. You'll get hurt."

Musa pulled her arm away from William's grasp. "She's my sister. I'm not going to just stay here and do nothing."

"Then what are you going to do?" the sword wielder asked steeping between Musa and the door. "What can you do that the doctors and everyone else couldn't do? Huh?"

"I don't know!" Musa said stomping her foot frustrated, "but it wouldn't hurt to try! I have to! I-" she trailed off. Both boys watched as her vibrant eyes dulled before rolling back in her head as she collapsed towards the floor. William was the closes to catch her.

"Musa! Musa!" he shouted worriedly shaking her but she gave no response. "Get someone!" he ordered to Odd who was already on his way out the door, yelling for help.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Emeric smirked as if he had just received good news. "There," he said aloud. "Right now Lana and Rose should be unconscious now."

"What was the point of awakening Lana from the traumatizing state that you had put her in only to put her into a coma an hour later?" Nyx asked annoyed. "If this is some over elaborate plan to kill them then just give me another chance! I will kill both Rose and Lana and anyone else you want!"

The red hair man shook his head as he walked around his desk to sit in his chair. He turned his chair away from the woman and looked at the monitored screens before him. One showed a hall with three girls - Zoey, Brooke, and Cassie – standing guard outside of a room. On another screen, was an image of a girl holding an unconscious boy – Sitara and Terran - in a white windowless room.

"What you seem to want to achieve," Emeric began, "is the death of their physical bodies. I do not desire that and I won't hesitate to kill you – an insignificant piece in my greater plan – if you even try. I don't want their bodies to die. I want their human halves to die."

"Why? What good will that-" Nyx began before she gasped. "With their human halves gone you can-"

"I can bring out their full potential as AIs. The potential that we all have, that the scientist never knew, except for one…I thought that if I had sent that virus that I had created – what did it call itself again…oh, Xana - and implanted it into one of Mr. Waldo's programs then my troubles would be gone and my dear Lana and her sister would have been in our grasp. Unfortunately, there were two miscalculations that I didn't see. One being that their was another scientist who was aware of my plans and who seemed to be two steps ahead of me, even in death, and the second being his faithful creation... Program 672253…Program O.R.A.C.L.E."

* * *

Okay. I updated. Are you people happy? I'll say this once so the people who think I have no life can get this straight. Beleive it or not I DO have a life. I'm busy with school and other teenage stuff so please understand that updates will be few and far inbetween until around Christmas break. So just give me a break people.

Anyway, if any of you are still confused as to what's going on in the story feel free to say so in a review or PM. I'll try to answer your questions as best as possible. I'll also try to get out a quick run through of what happened in the story and of the characters later on, maybe this weekend to help clear things up.

Nothing more to say so...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	34. Not What You Want but

Dear readers

Okay, so first off let me apologize for not being able to update this story. It seems that when the show stopped so did my inspiration but do not fear, loyal readers (lol. Always wanted to say that)! I'm not giving up but I do need help. I have the basic plot outline for this story set up and done. What I need is co-writer. Someone to help me out when I get stuck on a part of the story because although I know already what's going to happen I'm having problems putting them into words in some places. So if you're interested in becoming my co writer here are the requirements:

In a **REVIEW **(for either this story or one of my other Code Lyoko stories)-** NOT PRIVATE MESSAGE – **tell me that you're interested in becoming my co-writer.

Once you have notified me, I'll give you a little prompt. The prompt will be the same for everyone. Basically, all you had to do is follow the directions of the prompt and write a one shotbased on the given prompt. Don't worry. I believe it won't be anything to hard. More info will be provided when you inform me if you're interested but basically, you write a one shot based on the prompt, I decide – I might even have a guest judge to help me out if the person I'm thinking of isn't too busy - on which one-shot is the best, and will notify the winner. For people who participated but didn't win I will have a special Lyoko (or any one-shot based on the other categories I've written for) one-shot made just for them.

Please, if you're really interested and think you can handle this and take this seriously, I would really much appreciate if you could give me a hand. I really hate leaving stories unfinished, especially ones that have many loyal readers.

Anyway, as an apology for the delay, I will present to you another character profile for that next generation Lyoko thing, I mentioned way back. Now though, it will seem more likely that it will just be a series of one-shot that relate to each other.

Jacob Franz Belpois

**Parents: **Jeremy and Aelita Belpois

**Siblings: **2 younger twin siblings

**Age: **16

**Appearance: **short pink hair

Green eyes, plus contacts

Gray shirt under red vest

Beige pants

Average height

**Interests: **sports

**Personality: **Since he's the son of the widely known "Mr. and Mrs. Einstein", it was a bit of a disappointment to his teachers that he's barely making C's in their classes. Though a little slow in the classroom, he's a shooting star on the field, particularly in soccer, taking after one of his god fathers, Ulrich Stern. Due to teasing he got when he was younger he temporarily died his hair blonde, to look like his father's but changed it back to its natural pink color when Olivia, his cousin, said "I liked the pink color…it's what makes Jacob special to me".

Recently, he quit soccer due to an injury he got a couple of months ago at an international soccer camp. Though he can return back to the field with the same stamina and skill before he decided to take time off this year to reflect on a certain dark hair cousin of his…

**Personal Saying: **"She has me wound around her little finger and what's worst…she doesn't even know it." –sigh – "I'm so whipped".

Melody "Mel" Misaki Stern

**Parents: **Ulrich and Yumi Stern

**Siblings: **1 younger sister

**Age: **15

**Appearance: **mother's Asian features

Black hair turned dyed red

Three piercing on right ear

Black shirt under oversized military jacket

Dark brown pants

**Interests:** film making and editing, legal graffiti

**Personality: **Taking after her father's dressing style is as far as she goes with relating to her father. Though their relationship is nowhere as near as bad as the one between Ulrich and his father's, they could be better.

She's known as the pessimistic/realist of the group. She continues to argue with the more optimistic and sometimes crude Rayne, the son of her parents' friends. Though usually yelling her lungs out at Rayne, one can see a faint blush on the girl's cheeks when he flirtatiously teases her.

Mel is also co-director and editor with Rayne on many of his filming projects despite them living on opposite sides of the world. Many days, you can catch her coming to school with bags under her eyes and a cup of black coffee in her hands.

**Personal Saying: **"Why is it every time I talk to you I feel like some nagging mother?"

Anthony Delmas

**Parents: **Elisabeth **"**Sissi" Delmas, father: unsure

**Siblings: **none

**Age: 18**

**Appearance: **spiked ebony hair

Hazel brown eyes

Black t-shirt and jeans

**Interests: **sight seeing, exploring, martial arts

**Personality: **Continuing the tradition, Anthony is the son of Kadic Academy's principal, Elisabeth "Sissi" Delmas. Unlike his mother, he actually managed to stay in the positive light with most of his peers.

He usually hangs out at friend's homes a lot, some even the extent that he has his own bed and room, like at the Stern's. His infrequent trips to home aren't that unusual since he's a border student but that's not the only reason….Though his mother is an accomplish school principal and has managed to raise Kadic up and beyond its previous reputations as an international school, she is still surrounded by a cloud of prejudice and taboos that hang over her son as well. Though she is a capable school principal, Anthony's mother's living style is another question entirely when sharing a bed with two knowing men, each supposedly Anthony's father.

Despite this, Anthony doesn't seem to let the whispers and disgusted stares get to him…but looks can be deceiving.

With only one year left of high school, Anthony is looking forward to traveling the world like Neva's family – the daughter of his mother's friends.

**Personal Saying**: "It's kind of like the rain on a window. The parent's troubles washes off of them and onto their kids…"


	35. Visit From the Past Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko.**

**Visit from the Past - Part 1**

_**Musa's P.O.V.**_

From the moment I was able to truly call myself an A.I. – an artificial intelligence; a being that could think for itself – I always wondered what my purpose is in this world. Was I merely a tool for man or something much bigger than even my human creator could ever imagine?

_**Cascada's P.O.V.**_

I wondered if I was deleted, or died, if there was a place for me, a place for the creation of man. I mean, it is said that human's either go to the heavenly celestial skies above, amongst the angels and the almighty creator or down to the fiery pits of hell to agonize in the fiery brimstone. But what about me?

_**Musa **_

Am I an indirect creation of whatever heavenly body that may exist? Will my sins ever be forgiven when in the first place I probably should not have felt any regret?

_**Cascada**_

Will I ever be hopeful for the future? Will there ever be any redemption for me?

_**Both**_

What ever the answer is…right now, we're probably close to finding the answer way before out time...without even giving out good byes to the ones we love…

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Adrenaline and pure fear were the only things keeping Odd running down the halls, looking for anyone he could find that could help. It was maybe fortunate for him that the first person he ran into was Waldo.

Grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt in desperation, the boy breathlessly wheezed out, "help," before, without a response, pulling the man down the hall behind him as if being chased by one Xana's monsters from the past. Within seconds, the blonde found himself hovering over Musa once again, William still desperately trying to make the girl regain consciousness.

"I feared this would happen," Hopper murmured.

"You knew this was going to happen?!" a suddenly enraged Odd growled, taking the man by the collar and shoving him against the wall. The scientist didn't even flinch at the sudden movement, only staring calmly and coolly behind his eerie glasses.

"Taking your anger out on me will not help her or Cascada at all," the man said pushing Odd away from him.

"Cascada?" William asked worriedly.

Waldo nodded. "I can only assume that she is also in a similar state since she and Musa are so closely linked. You, as well should be in the same condition but maybe the fact that you're not the original Leon is what is delaying the effects."

The two boys' minds filled with questions but the unspoken words were delayed as the ground beneath them shook violently, the lights above going on and off accompanied by a shrill sound of metal being torn apart.

When Odd and the others pushed themselves off the ground the lights had dimmed, powered only by the back up generator that could be heard whirring throughout the building.

"What, what just happened?" William frowned

"Was that a rhetorical question?" Waldo grunted as he got up to his feet, one of Musa's limp arms dangling over his shoulder. "We need to move her and her sister back to the cabin," he grunted already making his way out of the room leaving William and Odd to follow.

In the hallways, various agents urgently ran back and forth as special emergency lights above flashed warningly. No one seemed to notice the three males and an unconscious girl make their way down the hall way.

"How is the cabin safer?" Odd asked as they stopped in front of the door to Cascada's room. The area inside was empty save for the other unconscious A.I. lying on the floor. William ran over to her, feeling for her pulse, and hefting Cascada up into his arms when he was sure she was still alive, if only barely.

"You both ask too many questions," the older man snapped, his cool and indifferent façade falling; he was afraid. Maybe he did have some tiny shred of humanity left in him.

The three quickly made their way back through the congested hallways, pushing their ways pass as scientist and agents of the building made their way to designated escape areas. Odd wasn't too sure what was going on but he got the gist when he heard "Emergency Evacuation", "Enemy Attacking", "Rogue artificial intelligences."

"And so the final battle begins," spoke Waldo, the world around them seeming to get much dimmer with each second.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"Bait them out. Humans, do whatever you like with them. Kill them for all I care. They'll be dead sooner or later but leave Lana and Rose alive," Emeric ordered staring down from the mountain.

With little hesitation, Brooke, Cassie, and Zoey raced down the snowy slope, their eyes lifeless and inhumane.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

The loud blaring noise of the alarms seemed like an annoying buzz in his head as he made his way down to the medical wing.

"Ulrich!" he heard as a hand caught his wrist.

"Sissi, let go," he refrained from snapping.

"What's going on? Why are we being evacuated?" the girl cried. Ulrich sensed the fear that was coming from her. It seemed strange how unemotional he felt towards it yet how he knew he needed the feeling.

"Look," he said taking the girl by the shoulders as the people continued to push past them. "I don't know what's going on, but I know it's bad and you're probably safer evacuating."

"Then come with me!" the girl pleaded.

"Sissi, I don't-"

"I know you don't like me the way I do you!" Sissi suddenly snapped, pulling away from him. "But that still doesn't mean that I don't still have those feeling for you! I love you Ulrich, even if you can never love me back! I understand that, but you have to understand that I'm not going to just sit back and watch as you get yourself killed."

Somewhere in the back of his mind something clicked. The girl before him was no longer the whiny self-centered brat she used to be. _She's kind of pretty, _he thought in a non-romantic way. It was just self evident. She wasn't the horrid dim witted banshee the group claimed she was. Maybe, if they were different people, in a different situation, he would have fallen for her but they weren't. This was the reality they had been chosen to live in.

"Sissi…"

"Don't Sissi me! I'm not leaving you and that's that!"

Ulrich sighed. What a time for the girl to gain her courage when it was probably better for her to run for the hills. "Fine," he sighed. "But if something happens, if I say run, then you run. Got it? It has to be a deal."

He could see her whole body quiver in fear for their unexpected future but she nodded, eyes hardening with resolve. "Deal."

"We need to find Yumi and the others."

"Ishiyama already left," Sissi informed. "She was taken to the airport. Her family is going back to Japan."

Ulrich felt a wave of disappointment rush over him. Why hadn't she told him?

"It's good we found you," Waldo's voice suddenly interrupted. "You're needed."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

She never liked flying in planes to begin with, but the increasing feeling of something bad happening kept mounting within her.

"You ok, sis?" Hiroki asked her with a worried frown.

No, she wasn't ok. Not at all. She should have been. Her family was finally together again but…the increasing foreboding feeling with in her wouldn't go away…

Yumi stood up from her seat.

"Miss," the stewardess said coming over to the girl. "Please take your seat. We're about to take off." The girl looked from the slowly patient losing stewardess to the concern faces of her family.

_"Screw this," _she thought before doing the unexpected.

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

Aelita tightly clenched her eyes, trying to block the shrill sounding alarm that was going on throughout the building. Jeremy frowned, ignoring the sound as he typed furiously on his laptop.

"What are you two doing just sitting in here?" Jim roared coming into the room followed by Elena and Maria. "We need everyone to evacuate now!"

"Hold on!" Jeremy yelled back. "I'm trying to hack into this place's security cameras so we can know what's going on outside. I don't have a good feeling about this. AH HA! Got it!"

Everyone in the room looked at the small computer screen as images from the few cameras that were still working showed what was happening on the outside. Aelita gasped in shock; Elena turned away; Maria heaved whatever contents of food were still in her stomach; Jeremy paled; and Jim closed his eyes, the years finally seeming to catch up with him before he closed the computer screen, but it was already too late. The mangled and torn apart bodies of those who tried to evacuate were already imprinted in his mind. This was worst then the war had ever been.

"W-what are we going to do?" Maria trembled.

"We already know what they're here for," Elena said tightly holding her daughter's shoulders. "But we can't give them to those…those monsters!"

"That still doesn't answer the question of what are we going to do," Jim grunted.

Waldo stepped into the room, followed by Odd and William, each carrying almost dead looking girls in their arms. "I believe I have an idea."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

It would be frightening for anyone to feel like they had just awoken from a dream – or maybe nightmare was a better term - , and to expect to find themselves in their nice warm beds only to realize that they had actually awoken on the cold ground of a windowless white room.

Sitara looked around the room, her eyes searching fearfully for any sign of escape but she couldn't even detect where the door to the room even was. She wasn't even sure on how or why she was in here. A few glimpses, like fragmented pieces that she remembered from a dream floated back to her as she rubbed her sore throat.

She looked down at the boy's head that was resting heavily in her lap. _"Terran" _she thought running a finger along his cheek, the movement feeling repetitive to her. Though the current predicament was still frightening she felt herself grow stronger, pushing down the fear. She couldn't be afraid now. This boy, Terran, she knew him all throughout her childhood. There was no mistaking that this was the same boy who watched over her all those years ago and even now. Now that he was in a position of need, she would do whatever was needed to protect him, just as he had always done for her.

_"You are growing, child," _an unnatural voice, yet one that was still oddly comforting, said within her with what felt like pride. "_Keep your faith in this boy and you might be able to survive this…"_

A nearby wall screeched as the unnoticeable doorway opened revealing an expressionless Nyx. "Come with me," she ordered dragging Sitara up to her feet while a cloud of paper petals lifted the unconscious boy off the ground.

Sitara looked worriedly at the carried boy but Nyx shoved her forward and out of the room. "I wouldn't be worried about him, if I were you," she said coldly. "It's your own life that you should be concerned about."

_**CODE TWILIGHT**_

"They're out there waiting to kill us," Waldo said matter of fact. "We need a distraction so I can get these two," he said nodding towards Musa and Cascada, "to the cabin. The lab there is only hope of reviving them."

"Then we'll be the distraction," Evan said walking into the room, heavily armed followed by Ken who was also armed.

"Dad," Ulrich began but he closed his mouth. There was nothing for him to say.

"Chris and Emma are already in the garage in identical vans," Ken continued. "Though it probably won't fool them for long, the decoy van should hold them up. Evan, Jim, and I will be in the van with Chris. Waldo, Elena, Musa, and Cascada will go in the van with Emma. The rest of you will stay here. It's safest."

"Guns won't do much against a group of artificial intelligences," Jeremy said standing tall.

"You're right," Evan agreed, "but it's the only weapon of defense we have."

"That's where you're wrong," Jim and Waldo spoke at the same time before they both looked at Odd, Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremy, and William.

"What? Them? They're just kids!" Maria asked in disbelief. "I'm not allowing my son to-"

"Mom," Odd said interrupting her as he pressed the button on his bracelet. A ring of light surrounded him and also the others as they pressed their own buttons on the fake jewelry, revealing their Lyoko forms. "We stopped being _just _kids a long time ago."

* * *

So I bet some of you never thought this day would come, but it has come! So now there's only two outcomes: no reviews at all or a truckload of death threats from angry readers. The only excuse I can give is school work and other personal stuff mixed with lack of interest for this story. But I hate to just leave a story unfinished (though it has happened with some of my other stories) so I'm trying to finish this. Wow can't believe it's already been more then a year since I started this story.

This chapter I did by myself. For those of you who responded that you were interested in being my co-author I decided to lengthen the deadline to April 12. If you're not interested anymore please tell me in a review or PM.

For your wait, here's another _Next Generation _bio just for you. :)

**Lilian N. Dunbar** (Originally I called her Olivia but I decided to change her name)

**Parents: **William and Cascada Hikaru-Dunbar

**Age: **15

**Appearance: **dark hair and eyes like her father

glasses though sometimes she wears contacts

off the shoulder green and blue shirt

black skirt

shortest member of the group

**Interests: **reading, computers, art, hacking

**Personality: **Unlike her glamorous fashion designer mother, she's quite shy and very much of a "daddy's girl". Since she has little to no fashion sense her mother takes it upon herself to choose her clothing whether or not she's halfway across the globe for a fashion show. Her parent's have always been supportive of her yet she's unable to tell them what might be her biggest secret. Only her cousin, Jacob, has been able to get the secret of her let alone even notice that she was hiding something. She has been called this generation newest "Ms. Einstein", even helping her uncle, Jeremy, once or twice on a project. Though she's quite smart she's oblivious to Jacob's confused feeling about her and sometimes unknowingly sends him into small fits of depression when she treats him like a brother or worst...like one of the girls.

**Personal Saying: **"I know they've always love me but...what if they stop because of this?"

Well, nothing more to say other than...**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


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